


Praxis

by anniesscribbles



Category: Logan Lucky (2017), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anthropology, Are you supposed to fall in love with the key informant of your ethnographic research assignment?, Clyde is a lil southern gentleman, College Student Rey (Star Wars), Emotional Constipation, F/M, Flashbacks, Han is basically Indiana Jones, Mentions of War, Minor Leia Organa/Han Solo, Mutual Pining, POV Multiple, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Professor Han Solo, Rey Needs A Hug, Slow Burn, brief mention of ableism, clyde needs a hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2019-09-15 21:53:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16941411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anniesscribbles/pseuds/anniesscribbles
Summary: prax·is |  \ˈprak-səs \ : integration of theory and practiceRey was one thesis away from earning her Master’s in Cultural Anthropology. She’d traveled the world and experienced every culture one could possibly think of. She’d witnessed atrocities. She’d witnessed the purest acts of humanity. Even at such a young age, she couldn’t imagine what more there was for her to experience… that was until Professor Solo sent her to write an ethnography in Boone County, West Virginia.Clyde left the United States Army as a broken man, physically and mentally. The transition back to civilian life was excruciating. Some days, the only thing that kept him goin’ was the memory of the mysterious, fiery girl he met in amongst the sands of Iraq. He never believed he would see his girl again… that was until she walked right into his bar.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was birthed out of a hatred for my Honors Cultural Anthropology course at university. I needed something that would keep me focused on and learning the material... so naturally, fanfiction. I have been sitting on this idea for a while now and I've been to shy to post it. But I've been snowed in for 4 days so I thought "what the heck? Lets do it."
> 
> Here is the [moodboard](http://benisolo.tumblr.com/post/179624384166/%F0%9D%90%A9-%F0%9D%90%AB-%F0%9D%90%9A-%F0%9D%90%B1-%F0%9D%90%A2-%F0%9D%90%AC-prax-is-%CB%88prak-s%C9%99s) for the chapter.

Clyde was a peculiar lil’ boy, at least by West Virginia standards. He was shy and anxious, preferring to stay inside and read dusty classics while all the other boys his age went muddin’. Clyde wept frequently, an act that Jimmy never failed to remind him was “unmanly”.

“If the creek don’t rise Clyde Logan…” Mama would huff when he was especially jittery. Even as a youngin’, Clyde knew what his Mama meant to imply; he was worryin’ over nothin’. Clearly she had forgotten about the family curse.

If only the curse had forgotten about her. Clyde never really recovered from the lost of his Mama.

In many ways, Clyde was still this nervous kid, just a couple feet taller. A couple hundred thousand dollars richer.

The speedway job, now affectionately referred to as the “Hillbilly Heist”, was over a year ago. Jimmy had retrieved their plunder just under 3 months ago. Everyone was settled into their new “post-heist” life.

Objectively, Clyde’s life was currently going swell; he had plenty of cash, a brand new robotic arm, and a thriving business. He knew he should be content, yet he felt empty. There were no cauliflower shenanigans. Jimmy and Sadie lived all the way in Lynchburg now. Whenever he visited, it was to see Sylvia. Mellie was with Joe Bang _constantly_. Yes, Clyde had the money and the bar, but he had no one to share it with. Everyone he loved was… busy. Too busy to see their kin.

Life had become so routine, he could go through his whole day with his eyes shut. (He had half a mind to try that very thing, just to add a little variety to his day). When they were preparing for the heist, Clyde had a new adventure every day. Now, the most exciting event of his week was when someone ordered a mixed drink rather than a plain ol’ beer.

As the months drawled on, Clyde found comfort in his own mind. His favorite pastime was imagining the infinite directions his life could have taken. What if he never joined the military? What if he never lost his arm? What if he went to college? What if he were a photographer? Or a writer? Most of the answers were simple: “You’d still have an arm,” or “You would have a college degree”. But the question that truly haunted him wasn’t nearly as simple: What happened to that girl in Iraq?

Clyde physically shivered every time this thought came. It would torment him to the grave, for he would never find the answer. She was long gone, whether dead, or across the world, he would never know.

The memory was mostly a blur, the chance meeting having been only 3 days before he was hit by the roadside bomb. No matter how hard Clyde thought, no matter how he scrunched his nose and willed the memory to elucidate itself, he couldn’t remember _how_ he found her. But how could he forget _her_.

The mystery girl was young, nineteen at most; Clyde himself was only 26. She stuck out in the arid landscape like a sore thumb. Bright white linens snaked up her toned arms, complimenting her floaty ivory tunic, adorned with messily embroidered crimson roses. The biting winds whipped the tail of her sapphire headscarf wildly behind her. Clyde was dumbstruck as he watched her sprint through the shifting sand dunes; she moved with an otherworldly grace, never losing her footing. Clyde wondered if she was born of the dunes: a rare desert flower, or perhaps a mirage.

When she spoke, she was able to transition from Arabic to English with the fluidity of a master. Her accent was elegant and proper, a stark contrast to the fiery commands and passionate warnings she would shout. Her unforgettable hazel eyes sparkled with intelligence and wit.

But what Clyde would never forget about this mystery girl was her selflessness. As the US forces evacuated the town, she refused to leave until every man, woman, and child was safe.

“I can take care of myself! Just because I’m English doesn’t mean you should give me special treatment!” She spat in the face of one of Clyde’s comrades who was trying to help her into a Jeep. Even as the attackers drew in, Clyde couldn’t help but smirk at her stubbornness. Now when he looked back on the memory, he smiled for an entirely different reason; she cared more about safety of the villagers than herself. She was literally an angel.

An angel that he would never have the pleasure of meeting again.

Immediately following the war, Clyde would often wonder about his mysterious angel. He imagined asking her out on a date, though he knew he could never deserve her. He dreamt of travelling the world with her and rebuilding those small villages that were so carelessly destroyed in the war. Sometimes, however, Clyde’s ponderings would take a darker turn. He wouldn’t put it past her to have gone back. Though she was on the last vehicle out of the village, he knows the second she had a chance, the angel would run back and check if anyone was left behind. She very well may be dead.

Though he rarely went to church, whenever he did, he would pray for his little guardian angel. His dreams about the young spitfire kept him going when he lost his arm. He often imagined her at his side when he was in physical therapy; she would cheer him on and encourage him, and be there to comfort him when he fell. She was his rock, yet he knew he would never see her again.

That is, until she walked right into his bar.

* * *

 

Earning a Master’s in Cultural Anthropology was a bitch. Just thinking about PhD made Rey want to curl up in a ball and shrivel up, never to be seen in the halls of academia again.

She was a thesis away from her degree, a task that would be difficult, but doable in any other discipline, but that was positively torturous as an anthropologist. Rey loved her field, she did, but cultural anthropology was _a lot_. It was an applied field, meaning, her Master’s was 100% based off fieldwork. In her seven years of post-secondary school, Rey had travelled to over 30 countries, and not for vacation. She was working her ass off.

Luckily for Rey, her professor was beyond amazing. Dr. Han Solo of Corellia University was one of the leading cultural anthropologists, and she was lucky enough to be his favorite student. From her sophomore year, Dr. Solo, or _Han_ as he always insisted she called him, was smuggling her around the world. At first, Rey was simply his assistant. She would transcribe interviews, snap photos of cultural phenomena, and run errands. Just five years later, Rey is a full-blown member of Han’s tight-knit team. Along with his wife, Dr. Leia Organa-Solo, sociologist, Dr. Lando Calrissian, linguist, and Dr. Wilson “Chewie” Chewbacca, ecologist, Rey was not only travelling the world, but saving it.

But now, Rey Johnson was facing her most challenging assignment yet. She hadn’t even been this nervous when she left for Iraq. Rey was being sent to write an ethnography in the depths of a cultural anomaly: West Virginia.

When Dr. Solo was handing out destinations to the other Master’s candidates, Rey was jittering in her seat. Her best friend’s Finn and Rose had been given Santorini, Greece, and the Amazon Rainforest, respectively. Rey felt a tiny bit bad thinking it, but if they got such _epic_ assignments, where would Han send his favorite student?

Rey’s jaw dropped when she opened the legal envelope containing her destination and assignment. _Boone County, West Virginia._

“What the hell?!” Rey shouted without a thought. Han’s only reply was a maniacal laugh.

Prospects were bleak, but Rey was determined to think that her mentor had a reason for giving her such an unorthodox society to observe. She researched day and night throughout the summer, desperately trying to find what made this little podunk county special.

Her research bore meager fruits. Rey found only two points of interest. One, Boone County hosted a yearly fair. Two, the legendary perpetrators of the Hillbilly Heist were rumored to live there. Sure, it was pure conjecture, but the latter made Rey’s heart race with excitement. She always loved heist movies like Ocean’s Eleven, and she may soon be meeting some cat burglars in _real life_. It was far fetched, but still in the realm of possibility.

Despite being downright boring, the area seemed to have its own sleepy, frozen-in-time, appeal. The dwindling population lived in small cottages nestled in the kudzu forests of the Appalachian mountains. The townsfolk were almost all employed by the surrounding mining and construction companies. The remainder ran the small family-owned services and restaurants that catered to the locals. It was its own microeconomy. A struggling microeconomy.

When Rey saw the county’s GDP for the previous year, she’s surprised the Hillbilly Heist didn’t happen earlier. Seeing the sad statistic made Rey’s heart ache, and she hadn’t even met the people yet. Damn her and her incredible empathy.

That empathy is the real reason Rey chose to pursue Cultural Anthropology in the first place. The discipline entirely based on application- not only studying cultures, but aiding them. But she had already done all these things. That’s why Han doomed her to the most dull of assignments: a full year of ethnographic fieldwork. Rey was to write an in-depth description of the population of Boone County, “for the enrichment of the anthropological community”, Han added with a smirk when he saw Rey gawking at the contents of her envelope.

Yeah, her fieldnotes and final dissertation would be put into the internationally renowned collection for ethnographic data, and her data compared cross-culturally for years to come, but that sounded dreadfully dull to Rey. She was a _doer_ . She was never the academic type. She would choose to dig a latrine in Haiti, or drive reindeer through the snow in Lapland, over writing a report _any_ day.

Though Rey was tasked to be an unbiased, un-intrusive observer, she figured sharing her social and cultural knowledge couldn’t _hurt_ the people of Boone County. It’s not like they were cut off from this knowledge normally, they did have the internet after all. Rey didn’t want to change them, that was unethical, but helping them learn to market their products and get college educations was merely her being kind, right?

With her new purpose in mind, Rey was starting to jitter with excitement at the thought of moving to her new home. She had to admit, Boone County _was_ vastly different from anywhere she had lived before. To most of the world, it would hardly seem exotic, but to Rey, the girl who had been practically everywhere but the damn moon, the little Appalachian town was completely alien. Perhaps Rey would get something out of this experience, other than her degree.

Rey continued to research the little old town in the weeks leading up to her move. The short manifest of local businesses fit right into her concept of a southern town: McDonald’s, Earl’s Auto, Hair by Claire, Cruizer’s Gas Station, and Duck Tape Bar and Grill. She couldn’t help but smirk at the name of the bar.

Seeing the quirky bar on her list jogged Rey’s memory. The gruff voice of Dr. Solo floated through her head as Rey recalled one of his lectures on ethnographic informants.

_“If you really want to get to know a town,”_ he grumbled while twirling his spectacles by the stem, _“The first place you go is the bar.”_

Rey heart warmed fondly at the memory; for so many years, Han had been somewhat of a psuedo-father to her. And though she would roll her eyes at his grumpily recited ‘words of wisdom’, she never failed to take the message to heart.

It made sense, going first to the local bar. People were most open when they were tipsy, or at least she was. Sure, the data couldn’t be officially counted in her research, due to lack of full, soberly given, informed consent, but Rey could at least get a feel for the town.

As she pondered further, Rey concluded that the bartender of a small town must have dirt on _everyone._ They’re always sober as they listen to drunken squabbles, sobbing, and phone calls to exes. In an odd way, bartenders were just like a confessor in church; you spill your heart and soul to them, pour out your sins, and they just listen, without judgement.

Rey definitely has to meet the bartender.

On the first night in her modest cottage, Rey prepared to head out for drinks. She knew literally no one in the town, except for the checkout lady at Super Walmart. If she expected to start gathering data and finding key informants, Rey had to get out into the field _now._

Tonight, Rey’s goal is to blend in, to be the casual observer. When she starts her formal interview process, she will tell them about her work of course. However, tonight was her first Friday night in a new town, and Rey would be damned if she didn’t mark her move with a celebratory drink or two. Or three.

It was around 7:30 and Rey was planning to leave soon, but she had nothing to wear. The goal tonight was to blend in, but she had no idea what the fashion scene was like here down in Boone County. So, naturally, Rey decided to base her clothing selection off the Southern girls she saw in movies.

Rey’s gaze danced over her reflection in the cracked, full length mirror. She definitely looked Southern.

“Perfect,” she whispered to herself before picking up her bag and strutting from her room.

* * *

 

When that lil’ lady came struttin’ through the door to his bar, Clyde’s jaw quite literally dropped. This leggy southern girl looked so different from that fiery girl in Iraq, but there was no denying those hazel eyes. Her hair was longer, skin lighter, and her stunning face slightly more mature. In the past few years, his mystery girl had become a woman.

Her gettup had certainly changed. In contrast to the modest, flowy garments she wore in Iraq, the girl before him was dressed in a rather… titillating manner.

The mystery woman wore a thin, faded pink flannel top that was cut in such a way to hug each of her gentle curves. She left the top few buttons open, showing off freckle-dusted collar bones and… other views. She stomped up to the bar in a pair of weathered cowgirl boots. Though the boots covered the lower half of her legs, she more than made up for the loss of skin with her shorts. Her lovely hips were hugged by the tiniest pair of Daisy Duke’s Clyde has ever seen. To finish the ensemble, she wore her hair in a ponytail, messily tucked into a beat-up NASCAR baseball cap.

Clyde’s mouth went instantly dry. Being a gentleman, Clyde kept his gaze pointed stubbornly at her face. Unfortunately, this didn’t help his blood pressure much. She had the prettiest little face he’d ever seen. Her skin looked soft and flawless. Her freckled nose was turned up in the cutest way. Her smile was dazzling.

She was his dream girl.

Some part of his mind knew she was speaking to him, but he could register nothing other than the way her soft lips moved. Clyde’s daze was interrupted when she waved a hand in his blank face.

“ _Hellooo?_ Sorry, but are you okay sir?” The mystery girl questioned in the most adorable little accent. Clyde’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he gulped. She was certainly going to be the death of him.

“Yeah, sorry, it’s been a long day,” He mumbled gruffly. Clyde fiddled with the rag that he used to wipe down the bar tops; he dared not look back on her sweet features, for fear that he would be caught staring again.

Her face split into the most dazzling smile on earth as she replied, “Oh I completely understand!” She giggled a little and started toying with her ponytail. “I just moved in today. I’m actually super exhausted.” Her sunshiney demeanor faded for a moment as she sighed and slumped onto a bar top. But even hunched over and a little pouty, she was the cutest woman he’d ever seen.

_Why’d she move to Boone County of all places? This is ‘bout the most boring town on this side of the Mississippi. A girl like her deserves to live amongst beauty and life, not old truck drivers,_ Clyde thought absently as she dug through her handbag.

“So, how ‘bout a drink big guy?” The girl’s accent faltered a bit as she tried to put on a southern drawl. Clyde chuckled at her attempt.

“And what will it be miss…?” He asked, purposely trailing off as an invitation to say her name. Clyde was dying to put a name to the pretty face that has haunted his dreams for years.

“Rey. Rey Johnson,” She twittered, then continued without taking a breath, “And whatever your most popular drink is please.”

_Rey,_ Clyde mused, _I coulda sworn that was a man’s name… but it sure is pretty when tied with her._

_Meanwhile, Rey was feverishly taking notes on a pad that she pulled from the depths of her purse. She bit her lip and furrowed her brows in concentration. Clyde found it so damn endearing, he hated to interrupt her with his reply._

 

“Well that, Miss Johnson, would be a Corona,” Clyde sighed. His long arm stretched behind him as he grabbed the glass bottle from the fridge, not even having to look. “Not the most fun drink.”

“That’s perfect, thanks,” Rey punctuated her reply with another megawatt smile.

Clyde dexterously popped the tab off the top of the bottle, holding it in the crook of his prosthetic. He added a lemon wedge to the lip of the bottle before sliding it across the bar, his hand shaking from nerves. He shouldn’t be anxious- he serves drinks _every day_ \- but this fiery girl did something funny to his brain.

Rey nodded her thanks before taking a humongous sip of her drink. She winced as the alcohol burned her throat (she was going to be a lightweight, Clyde could already tell). Then, she quickly returned to her scribbling. As Clyde served the few other customers, his eyes couldn’t help but wander to the paper as he tried to work out what she was writing. Whatever it was, it seemed very important.

Without ever glancing up from her little notebook, Rey downed the entire bottle in a few minutes. Considering how she winced at the first sip, Clyde was a little taken aback, but he quickly gave her another bottle. She nodded her thanks again before starting to down the second bottle.

_Bad day or something?_ Clyde wondered. Rey definitely seemed fine when she walked in, but she could have been putting on a brave face. Especially if this Rey is the same girl he knew from Iraq. His mysterious desert girl was tough as nails, and she would never let anyone see her upset.

Then again, maybe she just wants a drink.

When Rey waved him over for yet another round, Clyde could tell she was already starting to get quite tipsy. It was unsurprising, she was extremely slight, and she didn’t seem the type of woman to drink often. Nonetheless, Clyde obliged and handed her a third Corona.

He was drying off tumblers with a towel when she spoke, a moment later.

“I’m sure y’all are wondering why I’m takin’ these here notes,” Rey slurred, making Clyde chuckle. _Okay she was past tipsy_. “And why me, a British lady, knows so much ‘bout Southern tradition.”

Clyde outright laughed at this. He hadn’t considered it before, but everything Rey was doing did seem like a genuine, though very misguided, attempt to fit in with the culture of Boone County: her clothes, her use of slang, her asking for the most popular drink, and her general demeanor. For whatever reason she wanted to embody the southern lifestyle. Even though he barely knew her, Clyde already wanted to plead with the girl to just be herself. But instead, he simply quieted his chuckles and nodded for her to continue.

“Well,” Rey said briskly as she flattened her hands against the bar top. If she weren’t wearing a NASCAR hat and her eyes weren’t glossy from alcohol, she would look like she was about to give an academic presentation. “I am a cultural an-thro-pol-o-gist,” She sounded out each syllable so that the word was clear, which was probably necessary considering how slurred her speech had become.

“And what is that little lady?” Clyde hummed as he leaned across the bartop slightly. He had a vague inclination of what anthropology was; he’d shamelessly watched a few seasons of _Bones_ of course, but he didn’t want Rey to stop speaking. He almost felt bad, exploiting her drunkenness, but she was so cute he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“It is the study of culture and the human how it relates to and affects the human condition,” she said with such confidence. Her hooded eyes gleamed with pride at her clever answer.

Clyde chuckled again, resting his chin in his good hand as he drawled, “Sounds awfully fancy darlin’.”

“Oh yes it is,” Rey agreed in the most serious of tones. Her eyebrows furrowed in the most adorable way. Clyde’s full lips quirked up into a smile. “I’m the fanciest smanciest girl in town boy.”

For the first time in years, Clyde laughed until his stomach hurt. He hadn’t laughed so much since before the war, before Mama died. Whether this was his mystery girl or not, Rey sure was quite the woman, a woman he couldn’t wait to know better.

* * *

 

Rey wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, but there was something eerily familiar about this bartender. Though her thoughts were fuzzy, she couldn’t help but feel that she _knew_ him somehow. How could she possibly know this man? As far as she knew, most of the population in Boone County had never even left the state. She’d certainly never been in West Virginia before, so where could they have possibly met?

As their conversation continued, and as her thoughts became more muddled, certain traits of his stuck out more and more: his sparkling, whiskey brown eyes, his broad shoulders, his aquiline nose… all were oh so _familiar_. The one thing that didn’t seem to fit her mental picture of him was his arm, or lack thereof.

Rey shook her head when she found herself staring at the limb. When she was drunk she tended to zone out, and of course she zoned out whilst staring at his prosthetic. She had enough presence of mind to flush even further and mumble apologies. The bartender had clearly caught her staring. Thankfully, he seemed indifferent to her rudeness. Rey winced when she realized he was probably used to people staring.

_Some understanding, culturally adept academic you are Rey,_ she grumbled internally. She knew her actions were an example utmost rudeness in any Western culture. She shouldn’t have drank so much damn alcohol; how’s she supposed to start her ethnography if she’s hung over.

Considering her inconsiderate staring and her tipsiness, Rey decided it was time to cut her losses and exit the bar with her tail between her legs. “I ought to head out, I got’s a lot of work to do tomorrow,” she slurred in the bartender’s general direction.

He bit his lip, looking concerned. “Let me call you a cab darlin’,” he entreated. His deep-set brown eyes looked awfully like those of a puppy dog in that moment. Rey’s heart fluttered at the sight. _What in the world he’s so cute?_

“No- uh- I got it… I’ll just order an Uber,” she stuttered as she attempted to dig her phone out of the depths of her purse.

A large, warm hand rested over hers, stalling her movements. Rey glanced up at him through her lashes, blushing as his hand stayed where it was. _Who is this man?_

“There ain’t any Ubers out here, and even if there were, I don’t think you have the manual dexterity at the moment to press all those tiny buttons on the screen,” he spoke in the softest voice, his tone teasing and tender simultaneously. Her heart fluttered again for whatever reason. Probably the fact that his _ginormous_ hand was now rubbing soothing circles against the back of her clammy hand. “I’ve got you darlin’, now just drink some water. I’ll take care of it,” he gave her a little pat on the shoulder before turning around and heading over to the little corded phone behind the bar, leaving Rey wide-eyed and breathless.

She sipped at the little glass of ice water as she waited for the cab to arrive. The barman fussed about, wiping counters and fulfilling orders, yet his eyes were on her constantly, as if to check on her. As if he cared if she was okay.

Rey _had_ to know how she knew this gentle, gorgeous man.

When her cab rolled up outside the Duck Tape, Rey took a moment to look around and gather her things. In that short instant, the bartender came around to join her on the other side of the bar top. She gave him a small, shy smile as he stood beside her. Based on the way he hovered, he was there to make sure she didn’t collapse.

They stumbled toward the door side-by-side, the bartender’s large hand hovering at the small of her back, ensuring she never fell. Rey hadn’t felt so cared for in her life.

_You’re pathetic, he’s a bartender, it’s his job_ , Rey chastised herself as she turned to say goodbye when they reached the entrance.

The bartender was eyeing her, his face split into a gentle smile, punctuated with the sweetest dimples. _Gosh, he’s cute as hell_. He was patient as Rey gathered her words. It was a relief that he probably thought her hesitation was due to alcohol, not the fact that his gorgeous face left her literally breathless.

“Thanks for everything,” Rey blubbered. “Sorry, my drunkenness isn’t very ladylike,” she apologized sheepishly.

The bartender chuckled deeply. The bassy sound vibrated through her chest, warming her from the inside out, just like the alcohol. She could definitely get drunk off the sound of his mirth.

“Somehow you don’t strike me as ladylike in general Rey,” he drawled. Rey gave him a nod and a coy smile as she pushed the door to the bar open. She was walking out just as he began to add, “You’re more the desert scavenger type.”

That stopped Rey right in her tracks. _What in the world? Where the_ fuck _did that come from? Who is this man?_

She spun on her heels back towards the entrance as the question crossed her lips, “Wait, what’s your name…?”

But right as the words came out, the door to the bar slammed shut and her mysterious barman was nowhere to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this, please drop me some comments, kudos or bookmarks!
> 
> You can also visit me on tumblr [@benisolo](http://benisolo.tumblr.com/) or twitter [@anniesscribbles](https://twitter.com/anniesscribbles)
> 
> Thanks for reading! ♡


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter before I realized I had accidentally posted my first draft and stuck with me anyway! The response to the last chapter was very encouraging. This is another exposition heavy chapter. More anthropology and fluff will be on its way soon!

_ _

_ Stupid, stupid Clyde! _ Clyde screamed at himself internally as he retreated back into the bar. Why did he have to go and show all his cards at once?  _ “More the desert scavenger type,”? _ Oh, hell.

As Clyde ushered out the remainder of his customers, he continued to chastise himself. He supposed that if this “Rey Johnson” wasn’t the girl he met in Iraq, his comment may just seem odd. But if she was his mystery girl, then he must seem like a downright creep right about now.

Clyde cringed. There was no way on all God’s green earth that Rey would be able to recognize him. Assuming she was the girl in Iraq, their meeting was short. They spent maybe… three hours together in total. Besides, Clyde was in full military get-up; the lower half of his face was mostly covered by a shemagh scarf, the upper half by tactical glasses, and his trademark raven locks were shrouded by a tan helmet. Unless she somehow recalled his nose or his voice, Rey would not ever remember the daring escape they made together. Thus, Clyde’s allusion to her desertous past would come off as 200% stalkerish. That, or she would assume he’s into witchcraft.

The thought made Clyde sigh. Maybe witchcraft was exactly what he needed at the moment. How else was he to win over this enigmatic, stunning, intelligent woman? Clyde already knew the answer: he wouldn’t.

Clyde was never much of “ladies’ man”. That was his brother Jimmy’s job. Not to say Clyde had never been with a woman, he’d been with a few, but none of them stuck around. He attributed most of their pursuits either to him being an easy catch, pity over his arm, or as a ploy to get closer to Jimmy Logan. Clyde tried not to be bitter towards his elder brother, he really did, but it’s hard not to hold a grudge a woman asks after a one-night stand if they could have, not his, but his brother’s number. Needless to say, it was a knock to his self confidence.

If Clyde couldn’t snag one of the big-haired, pastel-nailed, gossipy women in town, how was he supposed to court a literal angel?

* * *

 

Rey’s dreams were a murky conglomerate of scenes. One moment she was riding over sand dunes in a sputtering military-grade Jeep, the next she was back at the bar with that strange, enticing man. She awoke with a massive migraine, hungover and desperately confused. As she poured her Keurig coffee into her  _ Star Wars _ mug, Rey ran through the events of the previous night at the bar.

She had to have imagined the barman’s comment. A “desert scavenger type”? Rey was probably more drunk than she thought. The phrase was far too on the nose for someone whom she had never met before.

But that was the real question: had they met before? Rey snorted to herself as she packed her bag.  _ Of course _ they had never met before. She would have certainly remembered such a lovely face.

_ Shut the fuck up, Rey _ , she chided herself. She’d never read the entire American Anthropology Association manual, but she could guarantee that consorting with ethnographic informants was decidedly  _ not _ ethical.  _ Well dammit _ .

Surely those stuffy academics would make an exception if they saw just how tender, caring, and drop dead gorgeous her informant was.

Rey rubbed her throbbing temples before rinsing her coffee mug. She felt far too shitty at the moment to fully wash the thing and her new abode didn’t have a dishwasher.

Since ethnographic research required a long-term stay, around a year, usually, Rey had taken up a full-on residence in Boone County. With the help of grant money, she was able to find a very small, somewhat shabby cottage on the outskirts of the town to rent. Though the little house was old and the floorboards were far from level, Rey couldn’t help but smile as she looked around her little home.

Before she drove down from her old home of Chandrila, Massachusetts, Rey went on an enormous Ikea run. This was the first time she had ever had a space to call purely her own. She spent the duration of her undergrad in on-campus housing because that is what her scholarship funded. Afterwards, she moved into a modest studio with Rose and Finn. (She loved her friends, she really did, but that was decidedly,  _ not _ the best arrangement for three loud adults). Unlike these other spaces, Rey’s little cottage was  _ her _ home. It was not Rey and nameless roommate’s apartment, it was not Rey, Rose, and Finn’s overcrowded studio, it was  _ Rey’s _ home.

As she made her way into the bathroom to fix her hair, Rey pondered the word “home”. She had never had a home. As a child, Rey was bounced from foster-family to foster-family, never staying in one place for more than 2 years. Her young adulthood was much the same, what with all the travelling she has already done with Han.

Rey wondered when she would  _ ever _ find her home. She gave herself a soft, sad smile in the mirror at the thought. As an anthropologist, it was unlikely she would ever stay somewhere for very long, at least until she decided to retire from fieldwork, something Rey did  _ not _ plan on doing for a very, very long time.

However, Rey had a bit of a romantic side. Pulling her hair into a messy bun at the base of her neck, she mused about whether Boone County could become her home. That would definitely be a plot-twist after so many years of visiting all the gems of the Earth. But there was certainly something drawing her to this little podunk town, something that Rey refused to acknowledge as a pair of whiskey-brown eyes.

* * *

 

On the day’s agenda was a visit to the hair salon. Rey had decided this would be her first official stop for research months ago. Hair salons on Saturday mornings were  _ always _ full of middle-aged women who were more than willing to talk your ear off for hours on end, exactly what one needs when doing anthropological research. That, and Claire’s Hair was one of the few businesses in town.

Rey grimaced as she hopped into her little Toyota Prius; the goal of anthropologists was to blend in to the culture they were studying. Her hybrid vehicle definitely did not fit in with the population of muscle cars and pick-up that crowded the roads of downtown Boone. If she had received a larger grant, Rey would have been tempted to purchase a truck simply so she didn’t embarrass herself, but alas, she had to budget somewhere.

The drive into town and to Claire’s Hair was about fifteen minutes from Rey’s cottage; Boone County, despite having a very small population, took up a lot of space. Rey’s closest neighbor was over a mile from her house, something she wasn’t sure whether she liked or hated.

A small bell dinged from over the door as Rey walked into the salon. A gorgeous, dolled-up woman leaned over the front desk as she smacked on gum and checked her perfectly painted fake nails.

“Hello?” Rey greeted nervously, proceeding cautiously. This woman looked like the girl who would have eaten her nerdy-self alive in high school.

“Hey there!” The woman’s tone was shockingly cheery as she looked up at Rey from her lime-green nails. “Sorry I was a bit distracted darlin’, it’s been a slow day.”

_ So much for her theory on salons being full on Saturdays, _ Rey grumbled mentally. She wondered if women here were more likely to frequent the salon on weekdays while their children were in school. She had to write that down in her journal so she would come back on a weekday…

“Sugar? Ya in there?” The woman behind the counter sounded concerned as Rey casually zoned out right in front of her.

“Oh, yes, sorry ma’am. I had a bit of a late night last night,” Rey replied quietly. This woman was a lot kinder Rey assumed she would be. Served her right for judging a book by its cover.

The woman laughed, a loud and unapologetic guffaw. “Oh stop it with that ma’am garbage. You can call me Mellie,” she entreated as she stuck out a manicured hand for Rey to shake.

Rey took her hand graciously. “It’s good to meet you Mellie. I’m Rey.”

“New in town, I suppose?” She supplied before Rey could tell her.

“How would you have ever guessed such a thing?” Rey chuckled at her own sarcasm.

Mellie giggled alongside her as she finally released Rey’s hand from the greeting. “Oh I don’t know, the fact that I’ve never seen you before in a town the size of a my little finger. Or maybe the fact that you dress like a woman who clearly wants to blend in. Or, this one’s a stretch, your exotic British accent,” Mellie teased.

Rey didn’t take her comments as rudeness, she could tell Mellie was just bold, but she couldn’t help but blush, especially about her attire. Looking at Mellie in her loose finger-knit bubble-gum pink sweater with a lime-green bralette showing through the holes, paired with ripped dark-wash jeans, Rey admitted her personal outfit choices were rather presumptuous. She shouldn’t have assumed that every Southern woman dressed like the women in all those North Carolinian Nicholas Sparks movies.

Sensing Rey’s discomfort, Mellie thankfully changed the subject, “So whatcha in here for doll?”

Rey bit her lip. She probably should have thought of that before walking into a  _ hair salon _ . It didn’t take too much thought though, she hadn’t gotten a haircut in, well… she couldn’t remember the last time she got her haircut. It didn’t exactly fit into her ramen noodles and Kraft mac and cheese budget. Good thing she had academic grants. She’s putting money back into the local economy as a trade for research information, that’s an acceptable way to spend the stipend, right?

“Umm, maybe take a couple inches off? My hair’s probably half dead,” Rey said sheepishly. She was always bashful when the hairstylists got ahold of her- dollar store shampoo did not do the greatest things in terms of split ends.

“Simple enough,” Mellie punctuated her statement by blowing a big bubble with her gum. “Lucky for you Rey, I don’t have anyone in the appointment book for this time, so you can just follow me on back.” The two women shared a kind smile before passing the counter and proceeding back into the formal salon.

Mellie led Rey past the spinning chairs and mirrors all the way to the back for the hair wash station. Rey grinned privately. She’d only ever gotten her hair cut at Supercuts or Cost Cutters, so she wasn’t used to the whole fancy spa treatment that women gave themselves when they got their hair done.

Rey took her seat in the reclined chair, and Mellie immediately started wetting down her long chestnut tresses. Rey couldn’t help but close her eyes in contentment as she gently scratched her scalp and ran warm water over her hair. If she was a cat, she would purr.

As Mellie turned to retrieve the shampoo, she broke the silence. “So you said you had a late night last night? Can’t imagine that there was anything too interestin’ goin’ on here without my knowin’. If there was a party and I wasn’t invited…” She trailed off as she started massaging the thick, aromatic shampoo into Rey’s scalp.

A little smirk crossed Rey’s lips before she replied, “No, I went to the bar… Duck Tape I think it’s called? Some celebratory drinks you know.” It was mostly true; she purposely forewent the part about ogling the bartender and her ethnography.

When Mellie spoke, Rey could practically see the smirk on her pretty little face. “Oh I know the one,” There was a slight pause as she restarted the handheld showerhead to rinse the shampoo. Or perhaps she was doing it for dramatic effect because her next question was, “And what did you think of the bartender?”   
Rey choked a little bit, her face burning bright crimson. “Oh, he was very nice,”  _ That’s one way of putting it. Nice company, nice smile, nice body… _

Mellie laughed to herself as she lathered the conditioner into Rey’s locks. “Yeah Clyde’s pretty nice… most of the time.”

Rey ignored the latter part of the comment, fully focused on the new piece of information Mellie gave her.  _ Clyde _ . His name was Clyde. It worked for him. The name wasn’t trendy, or in your face. It was soft and classic, like him.  _ Gosh she’s pathetic, she just met the man _ .

Mellie toweled off Rey’s hair and gestured for her to sit up. The women made their way over to the closest chair. The station was neat and clean. A picture of Mellie and some bleach-blond man sat in a frame at the far corner of the counter. He was handsome, but far too gruff looking to interest Rey.

“How much would you like off doll?” Mellie flipped Rey’s tresses over her shoulders, trying to get a better feel for its length. Rey simply shrugged. What did she know about hair? Mellie frowned a tiny bit then put her hand at a point  _ just _ below Rey’s shoulders. “How about this length? I think it would really flatter your face shape.”

Rey grinned and nodded her confirmation to Mellie; she had always wanted to try going a little shorter. She had just never had the time to think about it.

Dark, damp locks of hair began to fall to the floor around the salon chair. Mellie had turned her away from the mirror so she would be surprised when she saw the final look. Rey watched silently, if a bit mournfully, as some large clumps of her hair slid down the slope of the black haircutting cape. Nevertheless, Rey had full faith that she would love her new hairdo. She trusted her new friend to make her look great. The women worked in amiable silence for a while until Mellie broke it.

“He’s single you know… very,  _ very _ single,” Mellie threw out to the mostly empty salon.

Rey was proud of herself for not jerking or turning her head in shock, both of which would have left her half bald. Instead, she calmly replied, “I’m sorry, who’s single?” She damn well knew who Mellie was talking about.

“Oh you know who I’m talking about, I see it all over you face. You look like an heirloom tomato.” When Rey remained silent, Mellie sighed and continued, “Clyde Logan, my brother, is the man who is very,  _ very _ single.”

Yet again, Rey had to refrain from jumping in surprise. “The bartender is your  _ brother _ ?”  _ Damn that family has good genes, _ she thought as she gazed up at Mellie.

She gave Rey a slight pout and folded her arms across her chest in mock irritation. “Yes, he’s my brother, and you’re the first new woman in town in like 10 years, and you’re beautiful, so of course I’m gonna try and set y’all up.”

Rey blubbered for a moment, opening and closing her mouth, unsure of what to say. Finally she settled on a reply, “Has anyone ever told you you’re awfully bold?”

Her face split into the widest, most mischievous grin Rey had ever seen. “Never,” she quipped before turning on the hair dryer.

Mellie finished Rey’s hair in record time. She even styled it and curled it. Time passed and the Clyde business was pushed onto the backburner of Rey’s mind as she became more anxious to see her new look.

“Oh Rey you look as pretty as a peach in June!” Mellie squealed before whipping off the black cape and spinning the chair around to reveal Rey’s hairstyle.

Her hair was cropped so it just brushed her collar bones. It was styled in loose, beachy waves that emphasized the natural honey highlights in her hair. Now that all the split ends were removed, Rey’s hair positively shined.

“Mellie, I absolutely love it! Thank you!” Rey exclaimed as she jumped up from the chair to get closer to the mirror. She played around with the curls, tousling them and running her fingers through as Mellie watched through the mirror, looking very pleased with herself.

“Don’t mention it doll,” Mellie said nonchalantly as they strolled to the register. Rey paid with her university-issued card, leaving a nice-sized tip for her new friend.

“I’ll see you around then?” Rey ventured hopefully.

“Well of course!” Mellie shouted, pulling Rey into a warm hug over the counter. Having the table in the way made the position awkward, by the gesture was still just as kind. “Here’s my card, my personal cell is on there as well. Text me anytime. I don’t want ya hanging out all by your lonesome!” Rey took the little cardstock business card and thanked Mellie again before she walked out of Claire’s Hair.

_ Stupid, Stupid Rey! _ Rey screamed at herself mentally. Her revelations about the barman- Clyde- completely distracted her from getting any data. She didn’t get any of the town gossip. She didn’t even get to ask if Mellie would be willing to participate in the research.

Carefully, Rey slipped Mellie’s card between the pages of her journal. At least she could begin recording the town’s family pedigrees, starting with Clyde and Mellie.

Rey hopped into her Prius and scolded herself, “No more daydreaming about sexy barmen.”

* * *

 

Clyde had been daydreaming about Rey all morning. It was Saturday morning which was usually when he caught up on laundry and reading, yet he couldn’t stop thinking about his girl.

He tried not to deify her too much; it was unfair to label anyone as perfect, but damn she came close, at least in his mind. Yeah, she may have been a bit of a messy drunk, but Clyde simply found that endearing. She was human too, no matter how beautiful, intelligent, empathetic and courageous she was.

After reading page 56 of  _ American Gods  _ for the third time without getting anything out of it, Clyde decided to give up on his reading. He would make much better use of his time checking the stockroom at the bar or going over the finances again. With a sigh, he dogeared the page and hoisted himself out of his soft armchair. Without looking, Clyde grabbed his truck keys from their hook beside the door and twirled them around his index finger.

Clyde drove to Duck Tape on full autopilot. He went through the turns and stops without a thought, so that by the time he arrived, he wasn’t quite sure how he got there.

After pulling into his usual spot and locking the car, he noticed his vehicle wasn’t alone in the bar parking lot. Initially, Clyde was shocked that someone was trying to get into the bar that early.  _ Must be pretty bad if they have to drink before 2 _ . But the confusion passed almost as quickly as it came when he recognized the muscle car. Mellie was here.

Clyde let out a deep huff and leaned his head against the steering wheel. If Mellie was showin’ up at the bar unannounced, somethin’ must be up. Somethin’ big. The last time she came to the bar before it opened or without a warning text was when they were workin’ on their plan to rob the motor speedway. He just hoped whatever she was here for didn’t involve anythin’ illegal.

Having mentally prepared himself, Clyde slid out of the driver’s seat and onto the cracked pavement. With long, slow, purposeful strides, he walked up to the bar. He was in no rush to face the apocalypse.

Clyde didn’t need to unlock the shop, both his siblings had a key, so Mellie already let herself in.

“What do you want,” Clyde asked bluntly. He and his siblings stopped using pleasantries long ago.

But of course, Mellie still feigned offense, placing manicured hand on her chest, aghast. “Well hello to you too brother.”

Clyde sighed for probably the hundredth time that day. He pinched the bridge of his nose, warding off his oncoming migraine. “I said,” paused for emphasis. “Why are you here Mellie? It better not be no cauliflower business.” Gosh, he was getting too old for heists.

““Oh shut up you. Stop bein’ so cynical all the time,” Mellie poked him at the center of his chest. “It’s good news.”

Clyde quirked an eyebrow. He wasn’t quite sure if his and Mellie’s definition of “good news” was the same.

Unperturbed by her brother’s brashness, Mellie continued. “I found you a  _ lay- _ dy Clyde.” Mellie drew out the vowel in ‘lady’, rendering her entire sentence rather sing-songy. Clyde’s headache only grew.

“Mellie, you know I’ve given up on all that. After Barbra Mae ditched me for Jimmy I declared ma-self celibate. I told you that,” Clyde grumbled. Yup, he was tired of temptin’ fate. He never had the best of luck in any part of his life, so why should he expect it to be any different when it came to love. Clyde had written off romance forever, unless it had to do with one particular anthropologist…

His sister rolled her big, lined eyes dramatically before huffing in reply. “You’ve met her already actually.”

Now Clyde furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Have I?” He was genuinely shocked; he rarely met anyone outside the bar and most of his patrons were regulars.

Mellie giggled a bit at her brother’s confusion. “Yes Clyde, I gave her a haircut today. She mentioned she had a long night last night, so I did some probing and found out she came here.”

Clyde’s brow, though it was already thoroughly wrinkled, somehow found a way to become even more furrowed.  _ She couldn’t have met Rey could she? Why not though, I suppose _ . Clyde voiced his concerns, asking, “What was her name?” It was unlikely Mellie would remember; she saw dozens of customers a day, it would be ridiculous to ask her to remember some random customer’s name.

“Rey with an E,” Mellie announced as if she knew how much her words would affect him. “She’s a pretty lil’ thing, sunshiney and positive. You need a bit of that in your life Clyde.”

Mellie’s words pretty much went in one ear and out the other. Clyde’s mind was already racin’ faster than all the cars on the motor speedway. Little race cars of thoughts zoomed circles ‘round his mind. Did she remember him specifically or just the bar? When would he see her next? Would she even want to talk to him? What if she remembered the last time they met?

That last thought gave him pause. Would remembering their history help or hurt his chances with Rey? From Clyde’s perspective, it could go one of two ways. One: She’ll think its destiny, like he does; she’ll remember the harrowing, yet bonding experience they had in Iraq and it will bring them closer. Or two: their relationship will fail before it even begins, both carrying too much baggage. His presence could potentially cause her a lot of pain by dredging up painful memories. Hurting Rey was the last thing Clyde wanted to do. He’d sooner eat roadkill squirrel than cause Rey any trepidation.

Clyde rarely thought about his tours in Iraq. There was too much trauma, too much blood, too much loss associated with those memories. Just thinking about what  _ really _ was happening when he met Rey- beyond her beauty and magnetism- he was already shaking. His hands were turning clammy and his breath was quickening. It had been years since he had these “episodes”. At least enough to where others could notice. Clyde’s brothers from the Army had it much worse, so he never saw fit to work on this part of his mental health. He had dealt with it privately for years now, and he planned to continue doing so, and he was able to keep his emotional trepidation away from Mellie’s caring, though prying, eyes.

Completely oblivious to her brother’s inner turmoil, Mellie was already rattling off reasons why Rey was his “match made in heaven”. Clyde kept silent. He knew this conversation would only become exponentially longer if he attempted to argue with her. He just silently did his chores to prepare for opening the bar that evening. Instead of getting his hopes up by listening to his sister’s rant, Clyde wiped the counters, organized the bottles, and straightened the barstools. Anything to get his mind off the impending hard fall he was no doubt going to take for this girl.

“Clyde, I know you’re not listenin’ to me,” Mellie whined. He looked up at her from the bottles of Jack Daniels and was met by his sister’s soft, sad gaze. She looked at him not in a pity, but in understanding. She certainly didn’t understand the extent of Clyde’s tumult, not knowing anything about he and Rey’s history, but she did know how painful the subject of his love life could be. Mellie had been with him throughout it all. Seeing his sister’s kind eyes calmed him, if only slightly.

“You have been alone too long Clyde. Since you and Jimmy don’t share the trailer no more, you’re by yourself practically 24/7.” Mellie took his hand and continued to speak with renewed fervor, “You need- no, you deserve- someone in your life. A friend outside the family at least. You’ve been through so much Clyde. Don’t hold yourself back from finding happiness just because you’re afraid.” Mellie’s voice shook a little as she finished speaking. Clyde’s chest was tight with emotion.

The two siblings shared a poignant pause, but Mellie, being Mellie, couldn’t stay silent or serious for too long. Her face split into a mischievous smile as she spoke. “And besides, she’s got that hot lil’ accent…”

There was a soft ding as the door to the bar opened. Wherever Mellie was going with that comment, he was relieved that he didn’t have to hear it. Clyde quickly looked to the door in search for his savior, only to be met by the object of their conversation.

“Rey,” he hummed, giving her a soft smile as she walked up to the bar.  _ Did he seem to friendly? Would she think its weird he remembered her name? Oh no nonononoo- _

“Hi Clyde.” Rey gave a shy little wave and sat across the bar from him, just a seat down from his sister. Rey’s gaze was locked onto his for a long time, her mouth quirked into the subtlest of grins. She looked lovely today. Her hair was up in a ponytail the night before, so he didn’t know how much Mellie cut off, but his sister definitely did a fantastic job on Rey’s hair. Her hair fell in soft, shining waves around her face, kissing her shoulders. The style emphasized the lovely curve of her cheekbones which Clyde yearned to kiss...

Mellie chuckled after a long moment of the pair’s staring. Rey jumped, shocked as if she hadn’t noticed the woman beside her. Perhaps she hadn’t. The thought made Clyde’s ego swell a little bit.

“Oh,” she breathed, “Hi Mellie. Long time no see,” Rey finished sarcastically.

“It’s good to see ya doll,” Mellie grinned before turning her attention to Clyde. She raised her eyebrows suggestively, turning his face bright crimson.

“Wha- what,” Clyde stuttered for a moment, thoroughly flustered by his sister’s antics. “What can I get you to drink Rey?”

Rey’s dazzling smile grew the moment she was addressed. “Oh, I’m not here to drink.”

Clyde could feel Mellie’s eyes burning into his side. He could practically hear her saying,  _ She came to see you, nimrod! _

“Well then, what can I do you for?”

The second the words slipped out of Clyde’s mouth, he wanted to slap himself. When has that phrase ever  _ not _ sounded suggestive? Mellie let out a short bark of laughter which she quickly

Thankfully, Rey didn’t acknowledge his choice of words, though she looked slightly pink. She probably wouldn’t have even noticed the euphemism if his sister hadn’t been there.  _ Dammit Mellie _ .

Rey took in a deep breath as if working up the courage to say whatever she came here for. “I came to ask a favor of you,” she began after a short pause. “I was wondering Clyde, would you be interested in participating in my study?” The words came out soft, and very unsure.

Clyde opened his mouth to reply, but of course his sister beat him to it. “Study? What kinda study Rey?” Mellie asked, sounding  _ deeply  _ interested.  _ Mellie is never going to stop talking about this. _

Rey jolted as if she had forgotten about her presence again.  _ She must just be really absent-minded _ , Clyde’s treacherous brain provided.

“Actually Mellie, it would be great if you could participate too,” Rey said excitedly. “It’s always helpful to have multiple members of each family to provide contrasting perspectives-”

“Okay, but what are ya studyin’?” Mellie, of course, cut right to the chase.

Rey chuckled at that. Clearly, she already had a grasp on Mellie’s brand of friendship (AKA: brashness and unapologetic questions).

“I’m an anthropologist,” she explained. “I study people of different cultures around the world to see how they interact with the each other and with the world around them. I’m writing my dissertation for grad school about the people here in Boone County.”

Mellie’s eyes widened at the confession. “So you mean to tell me, you’re not only gorgeous, but you’re also a certified genius?”

Rey giggled once again. It was quickly becoming Clyde’s favorite sound. “Well I wouldn’t say that...”  _ But it’s the truth _ , Clyde finished for her mentally.

After a moment, Clyde finally spoke out loud, refusing to be upstaged by his sister any longer. “So what would you need us to do Rey?”

“Oh, it’s easy really, I just need you to answer some questions for me. The family aspect is helpful since you have shared experiences but can offer differing opinions on things so my final cut of the interviews is unbiased. I can explain more along the way if you have any questions.” Rey waved a hand as if to say  _ no big deal _ . She spoke in a way that downplayed the whole process, but she couldn’t keep the excitement from seeping into her tone. Clyde could tell she was very passionate about her work.

“So, would you help me?” Rey asked, her big hazel eyes beguiling.

It didn’t take much consideration. It was an opportunity to spend more time with the girl he had dreamed of for the past 6 years.

“I’m in,” Clyde accepted with a wide, crooked smile.

“Me too,” Mellie added.

Rey squealed in elation. “Great! I’d like to meet with each of you individually. Siblings tend to not allow one another to get a word in,” she said with a cursory glance toward his sister. Clyde couldn’t hold back a snort which earned him a glare from Mellie.

“If you’re free tomorrow morning Clyde, I was wondering if maybe you’d like to meet me at the library. They have some private study rooms that I could interview you in without being bothered,” Rey suggested.

Clyde’s face burned up again.  _ Private rooms where nobody will bother us… _ He quickly squashed the thought in order to save his blood pressure.

“Sounds great Rey,” he answered softly.

Rey gave him another one of her megawatt grins. “Meet me at 10 am in the lobby. Don’t be late,” she feigned seriousness as she pointed an accusatory finger at him.

“Yes sir,” Clyde saluted her with his good arm, earning him yet another grin.

Rey made her way to the door, but not without glancing at him over her shoulder. “Bye Clyde,” she gave him a little wave as she opened the door.

As soon as the door shut, Mellie pounced. “A private room Clyde!” She screamed as she jabbed him in the ribs. He glared at her through his blush.

“Shut up sis, she’s a professional. She’ll be doing the same for you,” Clyde grumbled.

“Yeah sure, but I’m not the guy she was making goo-goo eyes over for the past 10 minutes.”

Clyde clamped his mouth shut, not quite sure how to reply. She was absolutely  _ not _ making “goo-goo” eyes.

“The way she said your name was just a-dor-a-ble,” Mellie gushed. “Clah-eyed my lah-ve,” She spoke in a crude imitation of Rey’s accent.

Clyde groaned, “Oh shut up Mellie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave me a comment, kudos or a bookmark if you enjoyed it!
> 
> You can also visit me on twitter [@anniesscribbles](https://twitter.com/anniesscribbles) or tumblr [@benisolo](benisolo.tumblr.com)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I got caught up in finals at my university, then the holidays, and then I was hit with a massive case of writer's block. My posting schedule will be more regular from here on out- hopefully every week or so.
> 
> Since AO3 is determined not to embed the image, here is the [moodboard](https://flic.kr/p/2dUzo6N) for the chapter

It was only 9 in the morning and Rey was already in a tizzy. Her rendezvous with Clyde the previous night was born out of a whim. She had been making herself a turkey sandwich for an early dinner when the thought came to her, _“You know what? I should ask Clyde to become an informant for my ethnography. That sounds like a great idea!”_

It was not a great idea. Rey had yet to write any of her questions. She had no idea what direction she was going: would she write the ethnography from a feminist perspective? Would she focus on economics? Or the ecosystem? Essentially, she was lost.

But what made Rey nervous more than anything, was the man she would be interviewing. _Clyde Logan_ . That man was thick and strong like a tree. A tree that, as her best friend Rose would say, she _very much_ wanted to climb. His quiet, gentle demeanor, a stark contrast to his hulking, muscular body, drew her in unlike any man she had ever met. Sure, she’d had boyfriends, but never had she had such an instant _longing_ for a man.

By 9:30, Rey was out of the cottage, her messenger bag full of notebooks, her laptop, and endless notes on Boone County’s history. She squeezed herself into the driver’s side of her Prius, awkwardly tossing the messenger bag into the passenger’s seat. Rey sighed when the bag opened and a few pencils rolled out onto the floor. She would have to pick those up later; she wanted to be nice and early for her first interview.

The drive to the library was 15 minutes- the same amount of time it took her to get pretty much anywhere in town. Though she loved having a little breathing room at her cottage, Rey admitted that she missed the convenience of living in town. Her old apartment with Finn and Rose was literally across the street from a grocery store.

Rey snatched the closest spot to the entrance. She gathered her things, instantly giving up on the pencils, most of which had rolled under the seat. With a flustered huff, Rey made her way into the public library and towards the front desk. The elderly woman at the desk looked up at Rey through Coke-bottle glasses, offering her a kind smile.

“How may I help you sugar?” The woman asked with the drawl of a southern belle. Rey glanced at the name tag on the woman’s blue blouse before answering, then returned the woman’s smile; this was the same librarian she spoke with on the phone yesterday.

“Hello Maz, I’m Rey,” she replied, extending a hand for Maz to shake. “We spoke on the phone yesterday. I have an appointment to use the group study room.”

Maz’s magnified eyes widened in recognition as she gave Rey’s hand a hearty shake. “Ah yes Rey, I remember.” Maz released Rey’s hand then pushed her huge glasses further up her narrow nose. “You are quite a bit younger than I expected, being such an accomplished academic.”

Normally, Rey would have been irritated by a comment on her age. Too often had she been forced to prove herself to skeptical, misogynistic male academics. But Maz was different- Rey could see it in the woman’s eyes. Maz was _proud_ to see a young woman chasing such a difficult, male dominated career.

Rey’s gaze turned bashfully towards her feet, but her smile widened. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” she whispered humbly. “But thank you,” she finished as she adjusted the strap of her messenger bag.

“Oh stop being modest dear, you’re absolutely brilliant. Accept the compliment!” Maz scolded as she walked around from behind the desk. The wizened woman barely reached Rey’s shoulder. She gave Rey an affectionate pat on the back when she spoke again. “Let me show you to the room.”

Rey nodded quietly and followed Maz through the stacks. She led with quick, practiced movements. It was clear Maz had worked here for many years. Soon, they arrived at an old oak door with an embossed metal sign bolted to the front labeled, “GROUP STUDY”. Maz produced a ginormous key ring, seemingly out of nowhere, to unlock the door. Rey marveled at how quickly Maz was able to choose the correct key; Rey’s own key ring only held her car and house keys and yet she _still_ managed to choose the wrong one about half of the time.

“Here you are,” Maz announced with a sweep of her arm. The lower half of the walls were paneled with dark wood, punctuated by an intricately scrawling chair rail. The upper half was painted a pleasant off-white. A small window on the back wall flooded the room with natural light. At the center was a simple wooden table surrounded by four leather tufted chairs. The room was small, but undeniably nice. Rey felt like she was walking into the study of an old southern manor.

“I will let your friend in when he gets here,” Maz informed her with a conspicuous wink, making Rey blush. The smaller woman then closed the door, leaving Rey to set up.

Rey shook her head slightly, a small effort to clear it before her informant arrived. At the thought of Clyde, Rey’s mind went instantly fuzzy again. _It was_ such _a bad idea to invite him here. How am I supposed to keep a clear head?_

After she took out all the materials she needed, Rey checked the clock on her phone anxiously. _9:50_. Clyde would be here any minute.

In a moment of pure girlish nervousness, Rey turned on the front-facing camera of her phone and checked her hair. She had washed her hair since the haircut so her hair no longer fell in those perfectly styled waves, instead reverting to her natural, somewhat awkward waves. Rey fretted for a moment, fluffing it, pushing it behind her ear. _When have I ever worried this much for a date?_ Rey wondered, and this wasn’t even a date. It was an interview for her dissertation. A purely _professional_ meeting.

Even though only a minute or two had passed since Rey entered the room, she was already beginning to spiral with worry. _What if he doesn’t show up?_ She babbled internally as she picked at a hangnail. It was still early in the morning and he wasn’t due for another eight minutes.

Mercifully, her worrying was interrupted by a brisk knock on the door. Rey almost gave herself whiplash as her head shot up. “Come in!” She ordered the visitor as she straightened her dress and recrossed her legs. _What kind of daft idea was it to wear a_ dress.

The door creaked open, revealing Clyde. Rey had to stop her mouth from falling open when she saw how his mass filled up the entire door frame, blocking her view of the library behind him.

“I’ll leave you two kids alone now,” Maz chuckled from somewhere behind Clyde. The man looked utterly skittish as he lumbered into the small room. He tugged on his collar as he took the seat across from Rey.

The motion drew Rey’s eyes to his shirt. Clyde was dressed in a red plaid button up that hugged his massive shoulder’s just right. The buttons were positively _straining_ against his chest. Trying not to stare, Rey forced her eyes to his face, but this action didn’t help much. His angular features were shadowed and highlighted just perfectly in the soft natural light. It was the first time she had seen him in anything other than the dark bar, and Rey had to admit, he looked even more beautiful. His long raven hair was pulled back into a loose half-ponytail. Rey’s mouth went dry at the sight.

“Hey Rey,” Clyde greeted with an endearing little wave. “Sorry I’m a bit early.”

Since his hair was pulled back, Rey could see the tips of his ears were burning red. He was _blushing_. Who gave this man the right to be so damn cute all the time?

“You’re right on time,” Rey assured him. “Thanks for coming out so early.”

Clyde’s shoulder’s loosened a little bit as she spoke, as if his anxiety was being physically taken away. “Oh its no problem,” he grinned. “The bar doesn’t open for hours, so I don’t have much else to do anyway.”

Rey returned Clyde’s grin with ease. In fact, the grin was already on her face. Something about being around this man made it so Rey could not stop smiling.

“Well this works out great then!” She exclaimed. Rey took the next moment to riffle through papers. “These are your consent forms,” Rey told Clyde as she laid a small stack of paperwork in front of him. “I’ve marked all the places you need to sign once I’ve finished explaining the project to you.”

Clyde nodded along as Rey spoke. When she continued, it was clear he was hanging onto every word. “As I said before, I am a cultural anthropologist. I have come to Boone County to write an ethnography, which is to say a thorough description of a specific people and their customs. I have asked you and your sister to be some of my informants during the study. This means that you will be the ‘data’, so to speak, in my research. Your accounts of life here in Boone County will be recorded and studied by me, and possibly many other anthropologists around the world.”

Clyde gulped at that last sentence. Rey realized that probably made him nervous, having so many people read his words, so she quickly amended her phrasing. “But I don’t want you to feel any pressure to say anything ‘interesting’ or ‘eloquent’.” Rey added air-quotes around the adjectives to emphasize her point. “I want your experiences, honest and unabridged.”

He still seemed ill-at-ease, so Rey continued. “And I can change your name in the report if that makes you more comfortable. Many informants ask to have their name redacted, for privacy purposes.”

At that last explanation, Clyde sighed in relief. It was no surprise to Rey that this quiet man valued his privacy. If she were an informant, Rey reckoned she would have her name redacted too. It didn’t affect the validity of the research in any way.

After a moment of silent contemplation, Clyde asked, “So, what kinda questions will ya’ be askin’ me?”

Rey bit her lip. She still wasn’t sure what she would ask beyond this first meeting. She was counting on this interview to provide inspiration as to the direction she should take for further interviews.

Deciding it was best to stay honest, Rey replied, “I don’t entirely know yet. I need to gather more information about the town from different informants and documents before I can give you a definitive answer.” Rey silently cursed herself for the vague answer. “But for today, all I am going to ask is basic biographical information about you so that I can form a profile.”

Clyde appeared satisfied with her answer, so Rey ventured, “Do you feel comfortable enough to sign these consent forms now?”

“I trusted you from the beginning, Rey,” Clyde offered Rey a wide grin, revealing a set of white, slightly crooked teeth, and a precious dimple on his cheek. Rey nearly melted onto the floor at his words, let alone that smile.

Clyde signed every line with a small, but neat script. Rey watched with wonder at how gracefully he wrote, in spite of his large, surprisingly _nimble_ hand. She had to shake her head again to pause the train of thought.

“Great! We’re all set to begin,” Rey chirped. After rifling through her messenger bag for a moment, she produced a small, black recording device which she set on the table. “I hope you don’t mind that I record the interview,” she asked when she saw Clyde eyeing the device.

“You do whatever you need to darling.”

Rey’s cheeks burned crimson at the endearment. She knew it probably meant nothing; a big part of southern colloquialisms is terms of endearment. She’s already been called everything from “sugar”, to “doll”, to “sweetheart”, to “honey bun”. Still, the name was all the more sweet on Clyde’s tongue.

With the touch of a button, the device began to record. Rey took a deep breath before she began.

“This is Rey Johnson speaking. I am a Master’s candidate in Corellia University’s cultural anthropology program. This is the first in a series of interviews I have with the people of Boone County as I gather my ethnographic research,” Rey recited. Professor Solo always introduced himself in his recordings. He did this because there was always the possibility that the recordings would be published and other anthropologists would review them. They had to be able to put a name to each voice.

With another shaky breath, Rey turned her attention from the device, up to the pair of whiskey brown eyes before her. “Clyde, would you introduce yourself please?”

* * *

 

_She is so damn beautiful, the way the light is hitting her eyes they look almost jade…_ Clyde’s thoughts were interrupted when he realized those hazel eyes were now looking directly at him, and her pretty pink lips were moving as she spoke.

All he caught of what she said was, “...please?”

It seemed Clyde was doomed to constantly blush around this girl. His cheeks turned scarlet as he realized he had no idea what she asked him. They only grew redder when he was forced to ask, “I’m sorry, what?”

Rey’s eyebrows pinched together in confusion, but she repeated herself anyway. “Would you introduce yourself please? For the recording?”

Clyde wanted to face palm. It was the simplest gosh darn question she could’ve asked him and he’d already screwed it up. Rey must’ve thought him a complete buffoon ‘bout then.

Determined to amend his idiocy, Clyde cleared his throat and replied, “My name is Clyde Logan. I’m the owner of Duck Tape Bar and Grill here in Boone County.” He figured that would suffice as a simple introduction; Rey would prompt him if she had a different question about his life.

Just as he predicted, Rey glanced at her notes then asked, in follow up, “Would you tell me briefly about the structure of your family? Who are your siblings, parents, and/or extended family members? Include anyone you think is pertinent in shaping the who you are.”

Clyde marvelled at the way Rey so easily asked this eloquent question about himself. Instantly, he thought that she would be easy to go on a date with, outside of the professional setting. He wondered if her “getting to know you” questions were as fancily worded. Then, Clyde realized, it didn’t matter what she was like on a first date, because he would never have one with her would he?

With a sigh, Clyde answered, “I’m the middle child of the Logan family. I have an older brother named Jimmy who works at Lowes Home Improvement. He is divorced, but currently dating a woman named Sylvia. He has one young daughter named Sadie that he had with his ex-wife Bobbie Joe Campbell. I also have a younger sister named Mellie who’s a hairstylist. She’s dating a man named Joe Bang. I’m not sure how I feel about him…” Clyde trailed off. He was getting a little bit too specific in terms of who he associated with. Did he really have to tell Rey about the criminal his kid sister was shackin’ up with? He supposed that Rey would find out eventually whenever she interviewed Mellie. He just prayed to heaven above that Rey didn’t search too deep into Joe’s history.

Thus brought his mind to the next thought: what if, in Rey’s research, she dug up evidence that was incriminatin’ of the Logans? The Hillbilly Heist wasn’t exactly a small story. She probably knew all about the tall-tale already, it bein’ on every national news station for darn-near six months. Paired with her extensive research, Rey no doubt already knew a fair bit about the case. Clyde’s heart started to sink to the floorboards. How hadn’t he thought of this before acceptin’ Rey’s offer?

“Would you tell me about your parents and other family members as well?” Rey shook him from his dark thoughts. Clyde must’ve been quiet for a while as he thought. These long moments of empty silence weren’t uncommon when havin’ a conversation with Clyde, yet he still felt abashed at havin’ left Rey waitin’.

“The rest of my families’ mostly passed away,” he admitted. Clyde chanced a look at Rey’s face. He expected the expression of pity that everyone seemed to give him, but all he found was understanding. Rey’s eyes were soft and intent as she gazed at him, almost as if she truly cared about him and his losses.

Once he saw her expression, Clyde felt confident in tellin’ Rey more.

“My mama got sick and died a number of years ago. My dad drank himself to death afterwards. All my aunts and uncles and grandparents died in freak accidents.”

Clyde’s confessions were edgin’ closer to curse territory by the second, but he dismissed the thought. He hadn’t admitted enough for Rey to see the pattern of misfortune. This was a relief to Clyde; if Rey knew about the Logan Family Curse, surely it would be the nail in his proverbial coffin. Even if she did believe the curse was real and that he wasn’t crazy, why would she want to spend time with a man that is followed by misfortune as if the Devil himself was tracin’ his every step?

Rey’s eyebrows were knit together as she nodded understanding. (Bless that girl and her amazing empathy). She looked over her notes for a bit before changing the subject with her next question.

“Do you have any past work experience that may have influenced your ideals and perception of the world?”

_Another beautifully worded question that hits a little too close to home,_ Clyde thought as his mind immediately supplied memories of his time in Iraq. If any job could alter your perception of the world, Clyde reckoned being a soldier was certainly one of them.

He was anxious to lead with his time in the military, so Clyde started with the mundane. “In high school I had a job workin’ at the auto shop along with my brother, Jimmy. I mostly answered phones, but Earl taught me my way around a vehicle. The man had a soft spot for me,” Clyde admitted wistfully. Earl had always been there for Jimmy and him, even when they robbed the Motor Speedway, he was down in the tunnels smokin’ to distract the guards.

Rey smiled as Clyde spoke. He didn’t hide his affection towards Earl, and she clearly found it sweet. Too bad he was goin’ to wipe that pretty smile off her face with the next confession.

“I also was in the Army. I did two tours in Iraq. I was a combat soldier.”

Rey looked a little uncomfortable when she heard it. His confession prompted her next question: “If you don’t mind me asking, I do not mean to come across as insensitive, but is that how you lost your arm?”

Clyde was pleasantly surprised at the question. He knew of course that she would ask at some point, but he hadn’t expected the gentle way in which she asked it. Though this shouldn’t have surprised him- he had already seen how supremely kind Rey could be.

“I don’t mind you askin’,” Clyde reassured. Some of the tension seemed to release from her shoulders at his words, so he continued, “And yes. I lost it when my car was hit by a roadside bomb. I was on my way to the airport to go home after my second tour, funny enough.”

Rey did not look like she thought the situation was funny. She look positively pained when he told her. Surely she didn’t care about his past trials that much? The sympathy was probably born from her training as an anthropologist.

“Thank you so much for your service Clyde,” Rey said solemnly. Clyde just nodded and shrugged- he was never good at accepting thanks for his military service. Somehow, even after all he sacrificed, he felt undeserving of the thanks and the respect that came from his status as a veteran. Others had definitely done more than him. He was no hero, he was just doing his job.

After a silent moment, Rey continued asking him questions like, “Have you ever lived anywhere other than Boone County?”, “Where did you go to school in elementary, middle, and high school?”, and “What is your birthday?”, to name a few. Clyde answered each of the questions almost robotically, his mouth automatically supplying the answers as his mind wandered elsewhere. Elsewhere, of course, being thoughts of Rey.

During their interview, Clyde determined with surety that Rey was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. The sunlight that poured through the dirty window brought out the freckles on her cheeks and the auburn in her hair. The dress she wore hugged her body perfectly to show off her lithe, yet feminine figure. Whenever she smiled her cute little upturned nose would crinkle just so.

Yeah, he was already fallin’ pretty hard for this girl.

—

They spoke for nearly two hours, but to Clyde it felt like half an hour at most. He was so lost in her face and her words, years could have gone by without him noticing. Clyde only noticed how much time had passed when Rey looked down at her phone clock and announced in a startled voice, “Oh wow, it’s almost 12.”

Clyde laughed a little bit at the realization. “Time flies when you’re havin’ fun I suppose.”

Rey smiled again, that adorable nose-crinkling grin that Clyde adored. “It certainly does,” she agreed, then she added, “Okay, one final question.”

“Bring it on,” Clyde mumbled, giving her a cheeky grin.

Rey heaved in a little preparatory breath. “So this will sound a bit weird and vague, but I think it will help me decide what direction I want to take my report in.” Clyde nodded to show he was following. “Could you describe a particular experience or aspect of your life that has affected its course? This could be anything, for example: parents getting divorced, bullying in your childhood, your relationship with your siblings, or something like your religion or belief system.”

Clyde pondered the question for a long time. Minutes passed as Rey waited patiently for his answer. The question was certainly a big one. The topic was broad, yet so specific at the same time. Many potential replies came to mind; his military service, the loss of his arm, and his brother’s prowess in high school were a few that that kept returning to the forefront of his mind. The Motor Speedway job would have also made a good answer, but obviously he couldn’t reveal that part of his life, no matter how much he liked this girl.

After a long pause, the perfect answer popped into Clyde’s mind. He was weary to tell Rey, fearing what she may think of him. However, the answer was too perfect, and Rey didn’t seem like one to judge, so he steeled himself and gave it to her.

“The Logan family curse,” he finally said.

She seemed slightly taken aback at the reply, but to her credit, Rey swiftly schooled her expression to look neutral.

“Would you be comfortable explaining further?” Rey inquired gently.

Clyde expected her to want more information, so he easily fell into the explanation. “You see, my family and I have always had the worst of luck. You know how I said earlier that many of my family members passed away? I think it’s because of the curse. I’ve had family members electrocuted to death for goodness sakes! How often does that happen?” Rey chuckled slightly. “One time my aunt won the lotto and lost the damn ticket. Now that sounds like curse material to me.”

When Clyde finished his anecdote, he realized he must have sounded crazy. Under Rey’s intent gaze, he began to blush. She probably thought he was just another superstitious hillbilly pea-brain. In a last ditch effort to save her view of him, Clyde added, “You must think me crazy, but I swear it’s the truth.”

Clyde was prepared for her to reply, “yes, you need to be institutionalized,” or perhaps say something a little gentler, but just as cutting like, “oh bless your heart”. He certainly didn’t expect what she actually did.

He was looking down at his hand on the table, unable to meet her eyes with how embarrassed he was, when a smaller hand joined it. Rey took his large hand in both of hers as she spoke, “Clyde I want you to look at me.”

Hesitantly, Clyde obliged. When he met her eyes, he found them to be soft, not judgmental. Relief washed over him as she continued, “You are not crazy. Curses are a common belief across a _ton_ of cultures. You are not alone in your beliefs. If the explanation of a curse offers you some comfort after everything you and your family have been through, then it’s a perfectly acceptable. You should never have to apologize for what you believe in, even if it isn’t your religion, it’s still something you believe.

“Even if I hadn’t travelled the world and become an anthropologist, I would be saying the same thing to you now Clyde. You are not crazy, and you are not alone.”

Clyde was nothing short of dumbstruck at Rey’s proclamation. All his life, people had been makin’ fun of him for his beliefs; even his siblings took every opportunity to tease him about the curse. After so many years of being treated like the village idiot, Clyde didn’t know how to respond to someone actually _listening_ to him, let alone understanding him like Rey just had. She didn’t treat him like he was broken or crazy or less than, she simply listened. How had he been so blessed to meet this angel of a woman?

After a while of gaping at her like a fish, Clyde whispered, “Thank you”.

As if she hadn’t already surprised him enough, Rey quickly replied, “No, thank you,” as she patted his hand. Her hazel eyes were full of all the sincerity in the world.

It was in that moment that Clyde knew, once and for all, that he was done for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to remind y'all that all the criticisms Clyde and Rey have about themselves are just products of their self-doubt, not my opinion of them. These poor babies are too hard on themselves! I promise we're getting to the meat of the romance in the next chapter or two. I wanted to write at least one chapter with a proper ethnographic interview (not that this was entirely "proper" protocol). We had to set up the upcoming plot.
> 
> As always, please feel free to drop me a comment, kudos, bookmarks or subscriptions. Or you could say hi on Tumblr @benisolo or on Twitter @anniesscribbles!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sheepishly reappears after nearly 3 months*
> 
> Hey guys, it's Anna. I am indeed alive. I have been going through a LOT lately with uni and personal issues (trust me you don't want to hear about it, it's a mess) because of these, on top of my writers block, this story had to be pushed to the back burner for a while. But now, HERE I AM! Back and ready to write again, so please enjoy!

“FUCKIN’ HELL!” Rey shouted when her computer crashed yet again, deleting all her work.

In the few days since her meeting with Clyde, Rey has been __attempting__  to transcribe the recordings into typed notes. Attempting was the key word because apparently technology hated her.

In frustration, Rey slammed the laptop shut. She crossed her arms and pouted at the closed device. When she was at university, she would have some undergrad assistant type up the interviews. But in Boone, Rey was all on her own. She sighed and leaned back in the rolling desk chair, letting her head loll. It was going to be a long year.

Rey decided she was done with transcription for the day, knowing she couldn’t waste her precious time in bed all day, wallowing and eating Pop-Tarts. To an outsider, a year seemed like a long time to just observe a culture, but Rey knew that a year wasn’t nearly enough to write a popular ethnography. Anthropologists would spend __years__ , often even __decades__  living and working amongst the people in a society in order to learn all its intricacies. She had a fraction of that time.

The pile of notes and lists that covered her kitchen table seemed to stare up at Rey woefully. Perhaps if she stared back hard enough they would file themselves and then present her with abridged notes that gave her something purposeful to do __besides__  transcribing old interviews.

But Rey did not have the Force, so the papers stayed in their discordant state. With a sigh, she got up and padded over to her thrifted coffee maker. Maybe a pick-me-up would jog her synapses.

The rich smell of coffee filled her small kitchen to the brim. Rey breathed the aroma in deeply, feeling much better from its presence alone. She always loved the smell of coffee; it reminded her of cozy days reading by the fire and long hours spent researching with Han and Leia. Maybe she was more than a little addicted to the beverage.

Rey hummed tunelessly as she poured the steaming coffee into her Star Wars mug. Per usual, she added excessive amounts of cream and sugar before touching the mug to her lips.

“Black coffee would wake ya up a lot faster, scavenger.” Han would scold whenever he caught her doing this. Rey’s reply was simply flipping him off.

As her memories caught up to her, Rey realized she rather missed her mentor. He was more than her mentor, really. If she were being honest with herself, Han was more of a father figure. A gruff, cursing, sometimes outright rude father, but a father figure nonetheless. Han gave her the love and support she missed out on during childhood, never failing to help her when she was in need, like she was right now…

 _I’ve got to call Han!_ Rey slammed her mug onto the counter, its contents sloshing everywhere.

Why hadn’t she thought of calling him in the first place? How many times had Han guided her through roadblocks and research issues? Han even said to call him if she needed anything when he dropped her off at the airport.

Rey tried not to mourn her stupidity too long - she had work to do. She slid across the linoleum tile in her socks to snatch her phone from where it was plugged in. Quickly, she opened up her contacts app, went under favorites, and tapped the call button. After about the fifth dial tone, and as she was about to hang up, Han’s voice carried across the receiver.

“Rey?” His voice sounded scratchier than normal, as if he had just woken up. “It’s 7 in the damn morning on a Saturday.”

Rey cringed at the accusatory statement. She was an early bird all her life and sometimes she forgot that others like to sleep more than 5 hours a night.

“Sorry,” Rey squeaked. “I just have a question.”

Han grumbled something about no respect for the elderly as she waited for his response. His mumbles were accompanied by what sounded like fabric rustling and some more feminine grumbles in the background. Gosh, had she woken Leia up too?

“Hit me scavenger,” Han ordered gruffly.

Rey rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her; Han knew her well enough that he probably knew she was rolling her eyes right now anyway.

“First of all, stop calling me that.” (Rey always pretended she hated the nickname. She would never admit that she liked the endearment, though- Han did __not__  need the ego boost.) “Second of all, I’ve completed my first interview with an informant and I have no idea what to do next.”

Han sighed deeply. She could practically see him pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Rey, you _know_  what your next steps are,” he grumped out.

“Well clearly I don’t, why else would I be calling you?!” Rey knew she was shouting, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care at the moment.

Rey could hear Leia chewing her husband out in the background, probably urging him to stop toying with Rey. Han released yet another irritated sigh. “Rey, when have we ever interviewed just one person? We interview dozens, maybe hundreds of people. You aren’t going to know where to take your piece without taking a proper sample of the population.”

“Oh, right.” Rey wanted to facepalm. Of _course_  that’s what she had to do. Though Clyde’s interview was rather enlightening, she couldn’t possible write a whole dissertation on it.

Han smokey chuckles carried through the receiver, “You think too much, scavenger.” he said, not unkindly. “You have great instincts, follow them more.”

“Thank-,” Rey started, but Han had already hung up. “- You.”

It looked like she had to find some new people to interview.

\--

The remainder of Rey’s morning was spent “Downtown”, meaning the main street populated by a Sheetz, the mechanic, and the salon.

She started at the Sheetz. During her extensive pre-journey research, Rey found that the convenience store was home to some mean chili cheese fries. Searching for a new subject seemed the perfect excuse to… sample the local cuisine.

While waiting for her food to be prepared, Rey was approached, much to her surprise, by an older woman with lavender hair and a tracksuit to match.

“I’ve never seen you here before, doll, you new in town or just passin’ through?” The woman asked in a mildly suspicious tone.

Rey turned to meet the woman’s burning gaze. The Purple Lady, as Rey now dubbed her, appeared to be sizing her up.

Clearing her throat, Rey replied kindly, “I’ll be in town for a few months. I’m doing a research project on Boone County for my Master’s degree.”

The Purple Lady seemed taken aback at her declaration. Rey couldn’t help but sour a little at the woman’s obvious surprise that she would be completing a graduate degree. But Rey couldn’t blame her. Not many people in Boone County had earned much beyond a high school diploma, let alone a graduate degree. Especially among the women.

Despite her instant distaste for the Purple Lady, Rey could tell she would make an excellent candidate for her research; she knew the town well enough to recognize newcomers, and she was from a different age bracket than Clyde, thus rounding out her portfolio somewhat.

Steeling herself, Rey asked, “Actually ma’am, I am looking for more citizens to interview. Would you be interested in telling me more about the town and yourself?”

As it turns out, the Purple Lady was _very_ interested in telling Rey anything and everything. Her food forgotten, Rey and the woman launched into a full-on interview right in the local Sheetz.

For hours she blabbed on about every bit of town gossip. Rey forced herself to keep rapt attention to her words. In small towns, the gossip chain was usually the center of their social climate. That didn’t make it any more appealing to talk to her.

After at least an hour, the gossip turned to the Logan family. Rey had to force herself not to visibly perk up at the mention of her new friends. Although she didn’t want to hear about all the skeletons in their closet, she couldn’t help but be intrigued to learn more about them.

“Jimmy was always the most promisin’ one out of the three of ‘em,” the Purple Lady started. “Until he blew his knee out ‘course. Mellie is a peach and she always dyes my hair just the right shade of lilac… but I don’t think there’s much going on up there under all those extensions.”

Rey had to grit her teeth as the woman continued. She’d only known Mellie for a short time, but she was already intensely loyal to the Logans. She wanted to jump to her friends’ defenses, but she had to remain professional.

“That Clyde boy though, bless his heart.” Rey clenched her fists under the table until they were white. She knew what that phrase meant in the south: that someone was essentially incompetent.

The Purple Lady was oblivious to Rey’s rising fury so she drawled on, “You know young lady, the only reason he joined the service is because of his brother. Clyde was never the brightest, or the most talented. Always in Jimmy’s shadow. I declare that boy joined up simply for attention. Well he sure got it, losing his arm and all. Now he’s not even-“

Rey couldn’t take it anymore. She didn’t want to hear the ableist nonsense the woman was about to spew. She stood abruptly, her chair screeching across the linoleum.

“Rey darlin’ what has gotten into you?” The Purple Lady gasped, finally noticing Rey’s discomfort.

“I completely forgot I have an appointment in a few minutes that I can’t miss. It has been wonderful talking to you ma’am,” Rey lied as she began gathering her things.

“Well let me give you the number for my landline so we can continue-“

“That won’t be necessary. I’m sure I can find you if I need further assistance.”

She wouldn’t. At least not from this purple-haired menace.

—

Rey was still fuming as she drove down mainstreet. How could the Purple Lady think such horrible things about Clyde, whom she had known since his birth? How she could be so _ignorant_? Rey wanted nothing more than to start a tirade against the old curmudgeonly woman. No one, _no one_ talked about her friends like that.

Deciding she needed a distraction, Rey pulled into the first business she saw. With how angry she was, it wasn’t good for her to be behind the wheel anyhow.

The building she pulled up to was labeled “Earl’s Garage” in large, black, peeling letters. The white facade was covered in dirt and moss, in desperate need of a power washing.

 _This will do,_  Rey mused as she shifted into park.

She stepped out of the vehicle with a stomp. Rey continued to stomp as she made her way toward the entrance. Rey shoved the screen door open and a bell tinkled above her, announcing her entrance to the staff.

“Just a mo’!” A scratchy voice called from the back of the shop. True to his word, a gruff-looking man sidled in from the garage after a brief pause. The man looked positively wild with grease-stained hands and a scraggly beard. However, his eyes were kind and crinkled into a smile, allowing Rey to breathe a sigh of relief.

“How can I help you ma’am?” The man asked kindly as he wiped his hands off on his coveralls.

Rey grinned at him and extended her hand in greeting, grime be damned. “I’m Rey. You must be Earl?”

Earl nodded and returned her smile before taking hand and giving it a hearty shake. “The one ‘n only. So what brings ya in? I don’t believe I’ve seen you ‘round these parts before. Car trouble while passin’ through?” Earl seemed genuinely concerned for her. Rey’s relief grew.

“I’m new in town, and my car’s doing fine.” Rey paused nervously before continuing. “I actually came to see you.”

Earl let out a dramatic sigh. “Oh, please don’t be no lawyer, I already told Myra she got her fair share after the divorce…”

Rey giggled, essentially cutting him off. It probably wasn’t the most sensitive thing to do, laughing about another’s failed marriage, but she couldn’t help herself. Earl’s reaction was certainly the most unique she’d received.

“No Earl, I’m not a lawyer.” The mechanic’s shoulders visibly relaxed at her denial. “I’m a graduate student. Actually, I’m working on a project that I was hoping you could help me with…”

—

Earl was an absolute hoot, unlike the Purple Lady. They chatted as he tinkered with a rusty truck and Rey sat atop the tool chest. Earl didn’t drawl on and on like her previous interviewee, he kept his answers short and witty. His lightheartedness instantly made Rey feel comfortable.

After about an hour, the conversation took a familiar turn. The new topic was the Logans, specifically everyone’s favorite bartender.

The turn came when Rey asked, “Would you consider Boone County to be a tight-knot community? Do you take care of one another?”

Earl gave here a quizzical look as he pondered his. When he came upon the answer, his eyes lit up. “Not everyone does, but there’re plenty o’ good folks ‘round here. Take that Clyde Logan for instance, he always is helping people out.”

Rey’s hand froze, her note-taking paused. Why did every conversation come back to Clyde? The easy answer was that he was well-liked, though the Purple Lady’s opinion screamed otherwise. Was the universe bound and determined to torment her by shoving this desperate attractive man in her face every five minutes?

Oblivious to Rey’s inner turmoil, Earl went on. “After the divorce, I was straight outta cash. All my savin’s went to lawyer fees and alimony. When Clyde got word, he says, ‘anytime you need a beer come on in, it’s on the house.’

“Then whenever I’d wander in, he always made sure to keep a keen eye on me ‘n cut me off before I done made a fool of ma’self.”

As if that kind gesture for a grieving divorcee wasn’t enough, Earl added, “Last year, that boy donated a lump of cash to keep the town library runnin’. He used his rainy day savin’s to save our community landmark. He’s a good man.”

“It certainly sounds like it,” Rey muttered. How could one man be so attractive, kind and generous all at once? How was this guy even _real_?

—

After saying goodbye to Earl and exchanging contact info for future meetings, she headed over to Claire’s Hair in search of Mellie. Mellie squealed when she saw Rey, and she ran up to embrace her, leaving Rey pleasantly surprised. For a few minutes, the women made small talk as Mellie swept up the remaining hair from her client. With the pleasantries out of the way, Mellie went right down to business.

“Rey, between us too ladies and as Clyde’s sister, I’d reckon he has a more than a little crush on you. He wouldn’t stop blabberin’ about that meetin’ y’all had the other day,” Mellie snickered fondly as she cleared the dustpan in the bin.

All Rey could do was sputter. One minute they were talking about the weather this weekend, the next Mellie was bringing up her brother who Rey definitely _did not_  think was one of the most attractive men on god’s green earth. Rey should have guessed this would happen, with Mellie’s comments the other day about Clyde’s relationship status and the fact that she was, well, Mellie. Nonetheless, Rey was thoroughly flustered.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rey replied breathily, letting her eyes wander anywhere other than the mischievous woman before her.

Mellie giggled, setting the broom and dustpan in the corner. “The way he looks at you… I haven’t seen him look at anyone like that in years.”

Rey simply blushed and looked at her feet. There was no point in arguing with the headstrong woman. Mellie continued, unperturbed. “Ya know sugar, Clyde’s had a hard life.”

“I know.” From what little she knew of his past, Clyde always seemed to pull the short straw. His bad luck had haunted him every day of his life.

“But he’s a good man,” Mellie declared. Her voice was brimming with love for her brother. “I think he deserves a lil’ somethin’ good, don’t you?”

“I do,” Rey whispered, ignoring Mellie’s implication of __what__  exactly that something was. As much as Rey was attracted to Clyde, she could never be that for him. She couldn’t risk her work being written off as biased just because she happened to be with one of her informants. She worked too hard to get here, she couldn’t ruin it now just for a relationship that might not work out or a simple one night stand.

Sensing Rey’s discomfort, Mellie diverted. “After mama passed, may she rest in peace, Clyde was the one who looked out for me. Jimmy was busy with football and girls and daddy was too in his cups to even give a damn about me.”

Rey touched Mellie’s arm comfortingly. Why did the best people always have the worst things happen to them?

“Clyde was a kid himself, 13 I think? He learned how to braid, since mama wasn’t around to do my hair anymore.” The two women shared a soft smile. The image of Clyde, a gangly 13 year old, fumbling to braid his little sister’s hair before school, was just too sweet. Mellie’s laughter twittered again, a little watery from unshed tears, “He always put these pink bows at the end. Years later, I found out he’d picked up a paper route just so he could buy them for me, to cheer me up.”

Rey’s heart melted at the tender memory. What kind of teenage boy goes out of his way like that to get a job, just to spend it on his little sister? A good one, obviously.

The conversation continued onto other topics, but Rey couldn’t stop thinking about the story Mellie shared with her, and all the other stories she’d heard that day about Clyde. His generosity and care was beyond anything Rey had ever heard. Life dealt Clyde such a cruel hand, yet he continued to make the world a better place. When most would become cynical and closed off, Clyde was kind, wearing his heart on his sleeve. He had an incredible, admirable strength she rarely saw in any men, across any culture.

Rey bid Mellie goodbye and went to the diner to grab a bite to eat. As she munched on her turkey on rye, she continued to think about Clyde. She’d only seen him a few days ago, but she wanted nothing more than to see him again. Through the meetings, Rey’s admiration for strength and character grew. She felt she would combust if she didn’t get a glimpse of those kind, whiskey brown eyes soon.

—

The following day, Rey found herself deep in the stacks of the town library. __The library Clyde saved__ , her brain kept reminding her. She was in search of old town records or books on its history. As Rey perused the shelves, Maz was compiling some old newspaper clippings for her to sift through. In anthropology, the history of the culture was just as important as its current state- it offered insight into how the culture came to be.

Rey glanced at the call number she wrote on her sticky note once more, then squatted down to retrieve her book, _West Virginian Almanac- 1989_ , which promised the most _interesting_  of reads. Not dry at all. Heavy book in hand, Rey attempted to stand and was nearly knocked back down when she collided with a pair of long, jean-clad legs.

“Sorry!” Rey and the person shouted simultaneously. A woman on the other side of the stacks shushed them in annoyance. After regaining her balance, Rey turned to see who the owner of the long legs was.

“Rey.” Clyde greeted gently. Rey nearly fell back down again at the sight of him. A tight black t-shirt strained against his strong chest while a worn, brown leather jacket wrapped around his broad shoulders. But what really got her was his smile. His full lips were curled in a broad smirk that showed off his dimples and slightly crooked teeth. Rey wanted to melt into the ground.

“I didn’t see you way down there,” Clyde chuckled. Rey nervously tucked a stray hair behind her ear. How could he have seen her? He was like a bazillion feet tall.

“Oh it’s alright.” Rey stuttered. “Fancy seeing you here again.”

Clyde’s eyes twinkled and his grin grew. “And you darlin’.”

 _Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh_ , Rey’s brain chanted, proving she had lost all control of it where he was concerned.

“I was just trying to find some books on the area’s history,” Rey explained as she leaned back against the shelf, trying to play it cool. On the inside, she was decidedly _not_  cool.

“I see,” Clyde’s low voice rumbled. He tilted his head down to read the title of the volume she grasped tightly to her chest. “The almanac. Sounds… interesting,” he finished sarcastically.

“Oh, very,” Rey giggled. “I can’t wait to curl up by the fire with a glass of rosé and read all about the effect of hail on the year’s alfalfa crop yields.”

Clyde seemed to be holding back laughter as he replied seriously, “That’s obviously the most enthrallin’ and important piece of West Virginian history out there.”

Rey smiled shyly and glanced down at her feet. She didn’t know how to reply, but she certainly didn’t want this conversation to end.

Thankfully, an idea popped into her head at that exact moment.

“Hey Clyde?” She asked quietly.

“What’s up sweetheart?” Clyde’s cheeks flushed pink as he uttered the endearment. __This man was sexy and cute, damn__.

Gathering up her courage, Rey started, “So, I was wondering if I could have your number.”

Rey paused before continuing. Clyde’s eyes were the size of silver dollars, huge with surprise. Hoping to save her dignity after such a seemingly random and forward request, Rey continued, “So I can reach you. For our meetings. I want to interview you more. For my ethnography. For my degree…” Her pathetic blubbering was interrupted by Clyde laying his large hand on her arm.

“Of course you can have my number.”

Relieved, Rey quickly fumbled in her back pocket and pulled out her phone. She opened the contacts app so he could type in his number. After adding himself to her contacts, he shot off a quick text to himself.

“And now I have yours,” he grinned as he placed her phone in her shaking hands. “I have to get going so I can open the bar, but I’ll see ya around?”

“Yes!” Rey squeaked. Taking a breath and calming herself down, she added, “See you around.”

Clyde granted her one more soft smile before lumbering out of the stacks. The second he was out of sight, Rey slumped down on the floor against the bookshelf.

She had been able to keep her cool around him until now, so why was she acting like such a teenage girl with her first crush? Damn Mellie for telling her all those Hallmark-worthy childhood tales. Rey absolutely could not have feelings for this guy. It would break every ethics rule in the book if she did. He was attractive, yes- she would allow herself to admit that- but anything in the realm of feelings was officially off the table. Whatever this budding girlishness was, Rey was stomping it out. She definitely didn’t have feelings for Clyde. Absolutely no way.

—

As Clyde went through the motions of opening the bar, he was quivering with excitement. Rey - beautiful, brilliant Rey - had asked for his number! Sure, it was for professional reasons, but he’d take it. The last time he shared his digits with a woman was before he joined up.

The giddiness carried him through the night. He couldn’t be bothered by cleaning up a trucker’s vomit when he had Rey’s phone number. Clyde was on cloud nine and he thought nothing could bring him down.

That was until Jimmy called.

“CLYDE YOU FUCKIN’ KNUCKLEHEAD!” His brother bellowed through the phone.

“Hello to you too,” Clyde grumbled back. At this point, he was used to Jimmy’s anger-fueled insults.

Clyde could hear Jimmy’s heavy breathing through the phone before he started shouting again. “What is this I hear about you havin’ private, comprehensive interviews with a stranger about your life?”

Oh shit. Of course Jimmy knew. Mellie didn’t know how to keep her mouth shut. “I’m helping a grad student with her research project on Boone County.”

“And what does that have to do with you sharing intimate details about yourself?!”

Clyde sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose, willing himself not to shout back. “Learning about my life helps her learn about the town culture.”

Jimmy scoffed into the receiver. “Uh huh, and I’m __sure__  there’s no way she could be askin’ ya all these questions because she wants to know about a specific part of your life. Perhaps something to do with our cauliflower business?”

Clyde froze. There’s no way Rey was with the FBI, right? She was too genuine, she couldn’t be an undercover agent. She just couldn’t.

Sighing again, Clyde explained, “It’s not like that. She’s an anthropologist. She ain’t a fed, Jimmy, trust me. Besides, I’m havin’ my real name redacted from the study. No one will even know it’s me.”

Jimmy didn’t pause before firing back, “How the hell can you know it’s not some ruse? Why would someone want to study Boone County of all places? It seems awful suspicious that just after that FBI lady left, some other lady comes by, claimin’ a study that gives her free-reins to ask whatever she wants? Clyde, I know you ain’t that thick.”

“Jimmy you’re just going to have to trust me,” Clyde entreated. He didn’t know what to say to make his brother believe him.

“I’m comin’ up there.”

“No! Jimmy there ain’t no need!” Clyde begged his brother. The last thing he needed was Jimmy stickin’ his nose in Clyde’s business. He definitely didn’t want Jimmy, lady killer that he was, anywhere near Rey. For now, she was his (even though she really wasn’t) and Clyde did not want his brother stealing her away like he did everything else.

“No point in arguin’. See ya in a couple of days,” and he hung up.

Mood thoroughly ruined, Clyde went back to work. He had to admit, Jimmy had a point. It was an incredible coincidence that Rey arrived just when they thought they were in the clear. Still, Clyde refused to believe it.

As silly as it seemed, Clyde felt he knew Rey. Or at least he knew the girl she thought she was. She was the spitfire from the desert, the woman who wouldn’t leave until she knew everyone else was safe.

Then again, Clyde had no way of knowing if Rey and his desert girl were the same person. They certainly looked the same. However, where the girl he met in Iraq was feisty and stubborn, Rey was quiet and kind. It wasn’t impossible that they were the same woman, but it sure as hell wasn’t likely. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. Clyde latched onto the first woman he met with a British accent and a pretty face and willed her to be his dream girl.

“Pathetic,” Clyde mumbled to himself as he wiped down the bar top. He was living in a fantasy world. A juvenile, naïve fantasy world.

Clyde _could_  end his ponderings if he simply asked if she was in Iraq while he was. Just the thought of that conversation made him queasy. If Rey wasn’t the desert girl, she would probably think him insane. If she was, he risked bringing up bad memories and ruining his chances with her. It was way too much baggage.

 _Some chances I have with her_ , Clyde thought sarcastically. Not only was Rey young, successful and desperately out of his league, she was off limits. He knew she would never be with someone from her study. It just simply wasn’t done. Clyde couldn’t be the one to ruin her research. He would never forgive himself, and he knew she would never forgive him.

Clyde’s wallowing was interrupted by a chime from his phone. It was most likely Jimmy, but Clyde figured he ought to check anyway. Awkwardly, he stuffed his large hand in his pocket and retrieved the device.

The home screen was lit up with a single text message. Clyde’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he read who it was from.

****From: Rey** **

****Hey Clyde, it’s Rey. Fancy joining me for a walk through the forest tomorrow morning?** **

A walk? Through the forest? Alone? With Rey?

Clyde’s thoughts were everywhere as reread the words over and over again in bewilderment. Why would she need to walk through the forest for her research? Why did she need him to join her? Was it even for her ethnography? Did she simply… want to see him?

Clyde scoffed at the thought. There was no way Rey had feelings for him like he did for her. Absolutely no way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the long chapter at least *somewhat* makes up for the long wait. You guys are so patient with me. After this we should be getting back on a regular schedule of about a chapter a week.
> 
> Please leave comments, kudos, or bookmarks if you liked it! You can also drop by on twitter @anniesscribbles or tumblr @benisolo if you wanna chat c:
> 
> Thanks again! xx


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a bit longer than expected, but still a lot faster than last time XP
> 
> May I present to you... the walk.

**To: Clyde**

**Hey Clyde, it’s Rey. Fancy joining me for a walk through the forest tomorrow morning?**

Rey could not believe she actually did that. She  _ actually _ pulled herself up by her bootstraps and asked him out. Not out on a date of course, because that would be grossly inappropriate, but…  _ out _ . It was a good thing her mentor Han was okay with bending the rules because Rey was certainly walking a fine line by inviting the informant, whom she found insanely attractive, out on a private walk through the forest without explaining to him why.

Though she wanted to get to know Clyde better, the real reason she invited him on the hike did have to do with her research. Rey needed to get to know the environment around her, become familiar with the flora and fauna. The physical environment is one of the greatest influences on a culture. Cultures develop as humans adapt to their circumstances, so seeing what their natural resources, native foods, and water supplies are like, anthropologists can infer what parts of a culture came about as a result of these resources. By understanding the land, she would understand the people.

Thus, for her trek, Rey decided it would be easier to navigate the forests and identify wildlife if she was accompanied by someone who was intimately familiar with the area. Clyde had lived in Boone County all his life, so he seemed the perfect candidate. Plus, there was the added bonus of seeing the barman again.

A few minutes after sending the text, Rey began to panic. Would asking him to join her on the walk give Clyde the wrong idea? Would he think it was a date? Would he want to continue seeing her if she rejected his advances? What if she didn’t want to reject them? What if she was misreading the situation and he didn’t care for her at all…?

Rey sat down and took a number of slow, calming breaths. She had dealt with anxiety all her life, and she knew that if she continued that train of thought, she would be sent into a full-on panic attack.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself Rey. He hasn’t even responded yet,” She whispered out-loud to her empty home. She continued to try and reason with herself, “Besides, two people walking together through an empty forest isn’t exactly a first date kind of activity.”

Phrased that way, Rey could almost convince herself it was true. The problem of the whole situation was that the request  _ did _ sound an awful lot like a date: two good-looking young adults who find each other attractive walking alone together through a misty, kudzu covered forest looking at flowers and talking about everything and nothing.

“Damn,” Rey scoffed out loud. It definitely sounded like a date. In fact, it sounded far better than any of the mediocre first-date dinners she’d been on over the years. It sounded like something out of a freaking romance novel. The only thing they needed to complete the trope was a picnic basket and a checkered blanket so they could lounge by the lake and watch the sunset over the water.

“DAMMIT!” Rey chastised herself once more. She was enjoying her daydream way too much. She couldn’t allow herself to think about these picture perfect scenes. She was just fueling the fire of her burgeoning crush.

In a haze, Rey performed her nightly routine. Every time an errant, Clyde-centric thought crossed her mind, she mentally scolded herself and focused all her attention on her task. Unfortunately, this proved difficult as she was forcing herself not to check her phone every five seconds. Each time she heard it buzz with a notification, Rey’s mind immediately jumped back into her girlish daydreams as she wondered whether Clyde was the one texting her.

Miraculously, Rey managed to shower, brush her teeth, and put on her pajamas without glancing at her phone. She only allowed herself a look once she was already tucked into bed.

Ignoring the notifications on the homescreen (they were too bogged down with spam emails and Twitter notifications), she unlocked the device. A red bubble at the corner of her messages app indicated she had three unread texts. Rey’s heart rate immediately skyrocketed.

The first message was from Finn. It was a long, rambling text filled with emoticons, per his usual style. At first, Rey was distracted,but as she read the anecdote about the young, dashing pilot Finn met in Santorini, her interest was piqued. Finn was coming off of a long dry spell, courtesy of the excessive grad-school work he had, so Rey was genuinely excited as she scanned his bubbly description of ‘Poe’.

In reply, she sent Finn a series of purple hearts and matching purple eggplant emojis. Rey grinned mischievously as she imagined his dark skin flushing at the implication. Finn was always the modest one whenever the topic turned to anything remotely sexual.

Rey had to admit, she was more than a little jealous that the man Finn met wasn’t actually a local. He wasn’t off-limits, unlike the people she’d met here in Boone.

The next text in the queue was from Rose. The message was equally long, but much easier to read than Finn’s bumbling, emoji riddled tale. Apparently, this was the first time she had WiFi since she set out on her expedition in the rainforest two weeks ago. Rey giggled at the thought of Rose, the most technologically dependent one of their group, having to live without Instagram and Snapchat for two weeks.

Rose went on about bugs the size of her head, latrines, her clothes becoming stiff with sweat, and equally appetizing topics before switching to the interdisciplinary team she travelled with. Rose seemed to get along with everyone (as she always did)  _ except _ for one particularly offensive ginger-haired botanist. Rose wrote “HUX SUX” about seven times throughout the message. Rey smiled uncontrollably. She couldn’t wait to hear how  _ that _ turned out.

Finally, Rey moved onto the last unread text. A breath caught in her throat when she saw the sender. Rey was so engrossed in the messages of her friends that she almost forgot about the text she had sent to Clyde. Nervously, Rey bit her lip and opened the message.

**From: Clyde**

**I look forward to it. Meet me at the bar at 10?**

Rey almost squealed in delight as she read the message over again. He wanted to see her too! Taking a couple of deep breaths, Rey replied:

**To: Clyde**

**See you then c:**

As soon as she hit send, Rey regretted adding the emoticon. She was supposed to be an academic, but she sounded more like a teenage girl.

Nevertheless, soon after she sent her reply, Rey was sound asleep. And if her dreams were full of one particular barman? At least nobody else knew.

—

Clyde awoke at precisely 6:03 AM, two hours before his alarm went off. He laid in bed for a few moments, staring at the popcorn ceiling of his dim bedroom, willing himself to go back to sleep. But he knew it was pointless; he was far too wired when he thought of his plans for the day.

Specifically, he was worried about what  _ Rey _ planned for the day. Clyde could not stop wondering about what exactly the day meant to her. It certainly couldn’t be a date, she was way out of his league and way off limits, but what else could it be? There had to be some connection to her research, Clyde just wasn’t sure how. Perhaps she wanted another interview and thought a change of scenery would benefit them somehow. Still, even if it wasn’t a date, Clyde was gonna work his damned hardest to make it a good day.

Admitting defeat, Clyde slipped outta bed and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth before taking a shower. He trimmed his beard slightly.  _ Not because of her, it was just out of control _ , he told himself. Clyde dressed simply in a flannel and blue jeans, nice but functional.

Once he was done getting ready, it was still only 6:45. He had hours before he had to be at the bar to meet Rey. Clyde knew if he sat around waiting he would just get anxious, so he figured he might as well be productive.

Unplugging his phone, he opened the browser app and started looking up trails around the area he could take Rey to. They were nice he supposed, but none of them were all that special; they could have been anywhere in the world. Rey deserved the authentic experience.

That’s when inspiration struck. When he was around 14, Clyde found a trail a mile or two from his childhood home. It wasn’t officially marked or nothin’, but it was his favorite place to walk and think. It led down to a small, sparkling pond. Whenever he was sad or anxious, Clyde would walk down that trail and watch the turtles swim leisurely through the water. It never failed to cheer him up.

_ Is that too personal? Did she mean to go somewhere popular?, _ Clyde wondered. Deciding he needed advice, he opened his text conversations with Mellie.

**To: Mellie**

**Rey asked if I would take her through the forest. I wanna take her to my spot… is that too personal or weird?**

Even though it was barely 7:30, Millie’s reply was instant. She was always an early bird.

**From: Mellie**

**YASSSS TAKE HER THERE CLYDE! She’ll love it!!!!!!!! Omg I’m gonna have a sister-in-law I’m cryin**

Clyde rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t suppress the chuckle at his sister’s antics. Sometimes it seemed like she wanted him to get a girlfriend more than he did. Nonetheless, he trusted her opinion. Mellie definitely understood women more than he did, and she was close friends with Rey. If Mellie though Rey would love the trail, Clyde trusted her.

After deciding on the destination, Clyde still had hours left to kill. He made himself a full southern breakfast with grits, scrambled eggs, sweet tea, and bacon burnt just right.

Once he finished preparing and eating his meal, it was only 8:30, so he started packin’ a picnic. Clyde didn’t know how long Rey wanted to be out, so it was a good idea for them to come prepared with lunch. He was sure she would appreciate the gesture.

Clyde carefully slid ham and cheese sandwiches into ziplock bags then placed them in individual brown paper bags. Along with the sandwiches, he packed some trail mix, water bottles, Little Debbie Cakes, and a beer for each of them. It wasn’t the most balanced or delicious meal, but Clyde figured it would suffice (he just prayed Rey agreed).

Finally, he was all packed up and ready to go. It was still a bit early, but Clyde was anxious to get going. Once his backpack was safely placed in the passenger’s seat of his truck, Clyde took a deep, calming breath and started his drive to meet Rey.

—

“Where are you taking me?” Rey asked excitedly about 5 minutes after they pulled out of the Duck Tape parking lot. Clyde looked handsome as ever with the morning sun illuminating his features. The light turned his hair a lovely shade of chocolate and his eyes were tinted honey.

“It’s a surprise,” he replied with a small smirk. Clyde briefly took his eyes from the road and glanced at her. Rey had never seen him look so content, as he was usually scowling. The soft expression made her heart flutter.

“I don’t like surprises you know,” Rey feigned a pout and crossed her arms. It was true, she hated not knowing what was coming next, but she trusted Clyde.

The expression elicited a low chuckle from him.  _ Gosh his voice is so deep… _ “I think you’ll like this one,” he said at the precise moment he turned off the main road and down a dirt path.

Rey, cautious as ever, squeaked out, “Are you sure we’re not trespassing?”

Clyde gave a non-committal hum and shrug, “Dunno. But I’ve been comin’ here for years and I’ve never had a birdshot aimed at my ass, so I figure we’re safe. Come on sweetheart, live a lil’,” he chuckled again, stepping out of the truck.  _ Says the most cautious man who ever lived.  _ Before Rey could process his words and open her door, Clyde made his way to the passenger’s side and opened the door for her, then extended his hand to help her down.

“How chivalrous,” Rey teased as she took his hand.  _ Damn they’re huge _ .

“Nah, chivalry is dead, I just fancy ma’self a gentleman,” he shot back with a cheeky grin.

“And what exactly is the difference between being chivalrous and being a gentleman?” Rey questioned him, her hand lingering in his.

“You’re the expert on people. You tell me darlin’.” Clyde lifted their still clasped hands and gave her the gentlest of kisses on her knuckles. Rey felt heat burning in her cheeks. “But I do know a gentleman always greets a lady with a kiss on the hand,” he told her then dropped their hands.

It was ridiculous, but Rey could have sworn she felt tingling in her hand where his lips touch. She mentally chastised herself and flexed her hand to rid it of the sensation.  _ Off limits,  _ she reminded herself.

“An old fashioned custom, don’t you think?” Rey questioned. Her voice sounded embarrassingly high to her own ears, she just hoped he didn’t notice.

Clyde took a moment to ponder as they set off into the trees. After a solid minute, his reply came, “Probably, but maybe I’m a lil’ old fashioned.”

As they trudged through the now dense underbrush, Rey considered his words. He certainly seemed old fashioned. He used old terms of endearment, he called people sir and ma’am, and he got the door for her. Even though it was a little antiquated, Rey couldn’t help but find it sweet. Maybe he was old fashioned in other ways too. Did he believe in saving himself for marriage?

_ Of course that’s the first place your mind goes, _ Rey thought as the blush returned to her cheeks. She may have had a degree and nearly a masters, but she was just as silly about this man as teenage girls were about boy bands.

They hiked in companionable silence for a few minutes. The trees remained just as thick throughout. Clyde was almost constantly stooped down to avoid low hanging branches. When Rey took a look at the ground, she saw that they were not on a trail at all. It was merely some stamped down underbrush.

Deciding it was time to find out Clyde’s destination, Rey piped up, “Since we’re here,  _ now _ can you tell me where we’re going?”

Clyde glanced over his shoulder as he answered, “You said you wanted to walk through the forest, we’re in the forest.”

Somehow, Rey knew that the man had more up his sleeve, so she continued to push. “Well we’re clearly not on a marked trail, so I figure this is either a loop or we have a destination.”

Clyde sighed, “Yes, we’re goin’ somewhere. But we won’t get there if you keep on yammerin’.”

Rey giggled. She knew Clyde was only teasing. She hated to admit it, but she was really enjoying this playful banter between them.

They walked in silence once again, but suddenly Rey remembered that she never explained the point of this trip. She was so caught up in him that she had nearly forgotten.

“I realized I never told you why we’re here,” Rey said to the back of his head. Clyde hummed for her to continue. “I wanted to get to know the environment around here. It will help me better understand the culture if I know about the native plants and animals.”

Clyde turned abruptly. “When I was a Boy Scout, they had us memorize all the important native species and their names. If you point to something, I can name it.”

Rey was shocked at his level of knowledge, but of course the first words out of her mouth were: “Aww, you were a Boy Scout? That’s so cute and nerdy.”

Clyde face burned. “You’re missin’ the point Rey.”

“You’re right.” And he was right. Rey was far too distracted by him when she should have been observing the land around them.

Clyde gave her the softest smile and stepped aside so she could walk beside him, for the trail was wider now as the trees were starting to thin. “Point out anything you see and I’ll try my darndest to give you its name.”

So she pointed at the first plant she saw, a small fern to her right. “What’s this?”

Clyde stooped down and gently touched the fronds as he inspected them. “This, I believe is a maidenhair fern. You can tell by the tiny fan-shaped leaves and the black stem,” he explained as he stood back up and started walking again.

“I have to say I’m impressed,” Rey admitted, joining him at his side once again.

“Eh, that was an easy one,” Clyde said humbly, making them both laugh.

As they hiked, Rey dug through her drawstring back for her notebook and pencil. When the item was recovered, she immediately started sketching the fern that Clyde named. She had to look up from her work every few seconds to check for tree branches, so the lines were sloppy. But Rey didn’t mind, she wouldn’t be a proper researcher if she didn’t document her work.

While she was writing notes about how to distinguish the fern, Clyde warned her, “If you have your nose in that book, you won’t she what’s comin’.”

“You’ll protect me though,” Rey said with a grin. Clyde simply chuckled.

As soon as she finished her sketch and notes, Rey spotted another plant of interest. “Clyde, how about this one?” The flowers climbed up the trunk of a young tree. They had two purple petals and a small bud at the center. They kind of reminded her of orchids, only much smaller.

“That sweet pea, is a West Virginia sweet pea,” Clyde said immediately, without having to inspect the plant. Meanwhile, Rey was blushing like an idiot again.

“Are they common?” She asked, opening her notebook to a fresh page.

“Very. These lil’ wildflowers grow anywhere there’s somethin’ for ‘em to climb. I have some growin’ up the spokes of my banister in front of my trailer.”

Rey couldn’t help but smile at that comment. The image of Clyde’s little trailer, covered in purple wildflowers was so adorable, if ridiculous.

Not long after Rey completed her drawing, Clyde told her, “We’re almost there.”

Suddenly, Rey was beyond excited. She couldn’t wait to see what he brought her out here for. It was obvious that Clyde visited this place often. He knew the exact trail to take, even though it was unmarked. He must have known there was something she would want to see at the end of it.

The trees continued to thin and sunlight poured through the leaves, filtered green. Up ahead, Rey spotted something sparkling. Was it… water?

“Wow,” was all Rey could say when she passed through the last of the forest. Before her was a beautiful pond full of shining blue water, surrounded by trees and wildflowers. Slate grey rocks jutted against the shoreline and up out of the water. On one of the boulders, there poured a small waterfall from the stream that emptied into the pond. It was absolutely  _ glorious _ .

“This is my secret spot,” Clyde announced softly, as if bashful. Rey turned over her shoulder and looked at him. Ripples of light from the water danced across his lovely features.

“It’s beautiful Clyde. Absolutely beautiful.” Rey could see his ears turn pink through his hair at the compliment.

Rey silently took in her wonderful surroundings for a moment before Clyde spoke, “I, um, brought us some food? If you’re hungry? It’s nearly noon.”

“You brought us a picnic,” Rey giggled as Clyde unzipped his backpack.

“Kinda. I don’t have a blanket, but we can sit on the rocks over there.” He pointed over to a large boulder beside the one with the waterfall. Rey eagerly nodded.

Once they settled onto the smooth rock, Clyde began to pull out the food. He produced two brown paper bags, each stapled nicely at the top.

When he handed the bag to Rey, she realized that this was exactly the situation that came to mind when she thought earlier about how this could be a date: a picnic overlooking the water. Rey had to stifle a laugh at the irony of it all.

“You didn’t have to do this,” Rey said as she delicately tore the staple from the bag.

“I know. But I wanted to,” Clyde answered with a wide smile. He rarely smiled like that. The thought that  _ she _ was the one he was smiling for made Rey melt.

She pulled the sandwich from the baggie and instantly took a large bite out of it. Rey almost moaned in pleasure at the taste.

“Thank you,” she mumbled with her mouth full. “I was starving actually.”

“I figured you would be, it was a bit of a walk,” Clyde replied as he pulled his own sandwich out. “Sorry it ain’t too fancy. I didn’t have much in the fridge.”

“It’s perfect!” Rey exclaimed before taking another voracious bite. “I’ve travelled the world and had delicacies from so many countries. Sometimes all I want is something simple. I’m tired of all the gourmet shit. The sandwich is perfect.”

Clyde smiled with his mouth closed as he chewed. They continued to chow down quietly, with a bit of small talk in between bites.

When they had both finished their meals, they popped open the beers that had been chilling beside an ice pack and looked out across the water. On a small rock at the center of the pond, there sat three little turtles sunbathing.

“What are they called?” Rey queried.

Clyde put a hand over his eyes to shade them and squinted out across the water to get a better look. “I think those are woodland box turtles, based on the yellow markings on their shell.”

“They’re adorable!” Rey twittered, pulling out her notebook once again. She had to squint as well, the midday sun was right in her eyes, but she couldn’t miss the opportunity to document the wildlife.

They watched as the turtles slowly extended their long necks from their shell. Their eyes were shut against the sun. Rey swore she could almost see them smiling as the basked in the sun’s warmth. They were really fucking cute.

At some point, another little box turtle joined its peers atop the rock. A minute later, one of the other turtles hopped off the rock. The way he fell, he almost did a backflip. Rey giggled in delight and finished her sketch of the little creatures.

As Rey and Clyde nursed their beers, she continued to ask him about the different flora and fauna about. He identified a dogwood, a female cardinal, and a patch of Black-Eyed Susans with ease. Rey sketched and took notes avidly, enraptured with the world around her.

However, her observations were soon drawn away from the wildlife around her, and instead turned on the man beside her. Rey continued to ask about the plants and animals, but she couldn’t stop staring at Clyde. He looked so at home among these trees. He shone in the noonday sun like a forest god, a god who knew the names of each and every one of his subjects.

As Clyde drawled on about the different species around them, Rey couldn’t help but sketch him. Earlier she had used the word glorious to describe this little cove, but now she could only see one proper use for the word: to describe the man before her.

Rey tried her best to get the strong curve of his nose right, the shape of his soft, yet defined jaw. She was sure to add every precious freckle in her depiction.

Rey was precise, but her drawing was nothing compared to the real thing. With graphite, she couldn’t show the lovely tinge of pink on his pale skin. She couldn’t depict the honey of his eyes, or the warm highlights of his hair. He was completely unique, and Rey bet that no artist could properly show off it.

On the walk back, Rey considered the portrait she’d drawn, or rather  _ why _ she drew it. Why was she so fascinated with this man? Why did she feel like she was in danger of falling every time she looked into his eyes?

The answer was simple: she wasn’t in danger of falling, she was already halfway down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a *tiny* bit shorter than my other chapters, but I didn't want to ruin their soft lovey dovey walk with any more plot lol. Please comment, leave kudos, subscribe, and bookmark if you enjoyed it! You can also find me on twitter @anniesscribbles or on tumblr @benisolo. Thanks for reading! Xx


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I know, this has been another pathetically long wait. I have a million excuses (AKA: finals, a concussion, depression, and general life bullshit) but, hey, it's out now! I hope you enjoy it!

It is way too hot. Hot and dry. Rey can feel the dust gathering in her lungs with each lurching breath she takes. Her ears are ringing. She can barely peel her sand crusted eyes open, and when she does, she immediately has to squint them shut again against the blaring sun.

Everything around her feels wrong. Wrong, yet, familiar. Her heart is pounding in fear, though she doesn’t know why. All she knows is she has been here before.

The ringing in her ears begins to fade. She can hear muffled blasts, but she can’t tell how far they are from her. Are those…machine guns?

Rey’s eyes snap open against the bright lights. She has to run  _ now.  _ As her eyes adjust, she can make out the burning stucco buildings around her. Awareness rushes into her. She’s back in Iraq. 

Her mind fills in the blank spots of her memory. Rey has just loaded the last of the orphans into an American Jeep and is returning to the village to search for more survivors. She refuses to leave until she is sure every single villager is safe.

Rey doesn’t have time to think, only act as she sprints into the nearest crumbling home. She screams in Arabic, calling out for anyone to hear. She pleads for them all to run. Rey has lived among these kind people for months and the thought that any of them being hurt is… heartbreaking. They were supposed to be away from the war. Safe. This pointless fight has already taken too many lives. She refuses to let it take the lives of innocents.

Rey runs from house to house in a desperate search. They are all empty. She doesn’t know whether to feel relief or panic; they have either escaped or are captured. She is rushing into the last home when she hears the screeching of artillery coming right towards her.

She only as time to think,  _ This is it. I’m going to die _ , before she is knocked to the ground by what she assumes is the force of the blast.

Rey’s ears are ringing once again. This time, she thinks she can feel blood dripping from them. The blast has burst her ear drums. She is in such a state of shock, it takes her about 30 seconds to even notice the warm, strong arms encircling her.

Dazedly, Rey turns in their grasp. Through bleary eyes, she sees the face of a man, which is again, oddly familiar. His features are mostly concealed behind a tattered scarf, but his fiery brown eyes are full of concern.

The scarf is moving and the man’s eyes are squinting with emotion. Rey can tell he’s speaking, but all she can hear is the incessant ringing. With a shaking hand, she reaches up to remove the scarf from his face. If she could just read his lips…

_ BOOM. _

Rey’s vision goes completely black.

—

Rey awoke to her own screams. She sat up straight in bed, sweat slicking her hair and tears streaming down her face.

It takes a few moments for Rey to realize that she was safe and that it was only a dream, but she continues to sob. She hasn’t dreamt of Iraq in years, and never in such detail. It was so vivid, Rey could have sworn she was back there again. She had to look at her arms to make sure she wasn’t covered in sand and blood.

When she returned to the States, Han and Leia had insisted that Rey go to counseling. As they so delicately put it, she was having problems “re-adjusting”. After weeks of nagging, Rey conceded and went to a therapist.

After a single visit, Rey was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She was terribly confused when the psychiatrist told her. _ Wasn’t that what soldiers got when they returned from war? _

When Rey took her concerns to Leia, her mother by proxy, she insisted that, in a way, Rey had returned from war herself. She had seen battle and she had been injured.

Rey, being only 19, was extremely skeptical of the diagnosis. Through her remaining sessions, she insisted that the doctor was wrong. She hadn’t gone through anywhere near as much as others. She believed her experiences were too trivial to warrant such a prognosis.

Eventually, Rey simply stopped going to appointments. She would call and tell the secretary that she was too sick to go. When the office left a message asking her to reschedule, Rey didn’t return the call. She told herself that she was an adult and that she could handle these childish fears on her own, just as she had all her life.

Now, six years later, Rey began to question her teenage self. Perhaps she should have continued treatment because she obviously never sorted through the issues on her own.

But why were these dreams returning now? And why in such detail? Was it the move? Did the sudden change trigger her to recall her trauma? Or was it the time she spent around Clyde, a veteran from Iraq, that brought about these dreams?

Rey huffed and fell back against her mountain of pillows. None of these explanations seemed sufficient. Something big must have triggered her PTSD, but she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

—

The heat is positively offensive. He can feel the sun scorching the pale skin around his uncovered eyes. The bright beams pierce his retinas, even against his shuttered lids.

Clyde opens his eyes instantly goes into fight mode, his extensive military training kicking in automatically. The ground is quaking with the blasts of artillery. The steady rumble of machine guns assaults his ears.

Behind him, his captain shouts at him to return to the village to check for any more civilians. Without question, Clyde swiftly runs towards the smoldering ruins.

With his rifle at the ready, Clyde clears the closest homes to the Jeeps. Mercifully, he finds them empty of both survivors and enemies. He is just about to storm the fourth building when he hears a feminine voice shouting in Arabic from the street.

Cautiously, Clyde runs toward the desperate cries. He never takes his finger from the trigger, even as the woman comes into sight. Through the heat mirage, he can barely make out her features, but he recognizes her quickly. She’s the British girl who jumped out the back of the moving Jeep. He’d tried to catch her, but she was far quicker than he was, as she was not weighed down by gear and body armor. She insisted she needed to look for survivors. Ironically, they are the last two people in the village.

Just as the girl begins to turn towards him, Clyde gets a chill up his spine. His gut tells him something is coming. Instinctually, he lunges for her and covers her body with his own.

Rubble rains down on them as the now-decimated house beside them crumbles. Clyde’s winces in pain as he pulls himself away from the girl slightly, still shielding her body, but taking his weight off her. Her petite frame is visibly quivering but she doesn’t move, and he begins to panic.

“Hey! We have to get out of here!” He shouts, but she does not stir. The girl’s ears are bleeding, a sign her eardrums have burst, but Clyde continues to cry out, even though she can’t hear him.

After a moment, the girl turns. She looks up at him with misty hazel eyes that make his heart melt. “Sweetheart, we have to move. Can ya walk?”

There is no sign of recognition in her hazy eyes. She stares at him blankly. Blood trickles down her forehead from a cut in her hairline.

“Please darlin’. I need ya to stand,” Clyde pleads. He knows it’s useless, but he’s desperate.

The girl’s face turns confused, the first expression she’s shown. With a shaking hand, she reaches up towards his face and…

_ BOOM. _

His vision goes dark.

—

“REY!” Clyde screamed as he jolted awake. Relief flooded through him when he saw his familiar bedroom.

In his dream, she was just  _ the desert girl, _ but now that he was awake, Clyde was certain the girl he saw was Rey. The tanned, freckled skin and hazel eyes couldn’t have belonged to anyone else.

Clyde was completely shaken by the dream. It had been years since he had such a vivid dream of his time in the service. Even then, most of his dreams revolved around his first tour. When his transport was hit by the roadside mine, Clyde suffered a head injury as well as losing his arm. The doctors told him that he had retrograde amnesia and would have trouble remembering anything from the previous few months.

Clyde remembered bits and pieces, of course. He certainly recalled his initial meeting with Rey as they attempted to evacuate the village, even though the details were a bit hazy. However, he had no memory of him rescuing her in the village until now.

Did his daring rescue actually happen or was it something his unconscious mind created? Or had his subconscious brought the memory back to him?

Clyde began to doubt that the girl he met in Iraq was Rey at all. It was probably all wishful thinking. His lonely heart was simply latching onto any hope he had of reuniting with his desert girl.

He sighed deeply and ran his hand through his tangled hair. Rey didn’t deserve to be pulled into his imaginary drama. Clyde had no way of knowing that she was this girl, and even if she was, he was no good for her. Clyde was cursed for life and he refused to let her become a victim of his misfortune.

A loud knock on the door interrupted his dismal thoughts. Clyde groaned and glanced at the clock: 7:14.  _ Who the hell was calling at this hour?  _ Sleepily, Clyde stumbled out of bed and towards his front door. The knocking continued incessantly.

“For the love of all that is holy… I’m  _ coming!” _

Clyde yanked the front door open. Before he could even open his mouth, Jimmy was pushing past him into the house, already yelling. “What do you have to say for yourself Clyde Logan?!”

“What are ya goin’ on ‘bout?” Clyde grumbled as he rubbed his eyes. He was never much of a morning person, and his brain certainly hadn’t woken up yet. At the back of his mind, Clyde knew Jimmy was angry for a reason, but it was seven in the morning, so the reason eluded him.

“Those interviews with the British chick, you dumbass!”

“Ah,” Clyde replied simply. After his day out with Rey yesterday, Clyde completely forgot that his brother was coming into town and was lookin’ for blood.

Jimmy folded his muscular arms and gave him a stern look. “Explain.”

Clyde swiftly complied to his brother’s order and told him everything about his agreement with Rey. He emphasized the fact that the interviews were anonymous and that their names would be redacted.

“That still don’t rule out the possibility that she’s a fed. She could just be tellin’ ya that so you feel comfortable enough to spill your life story.”

Clyde huffed in frustration and ran his fingers through his sleep-mussed hair. “It’s not like Imma tell her about Charlotte! I’m not that much of a nitwit Jimmy!”

“Well from what Mellie tells me, you is followin’ her around like a lost puppy. You’re half in love with the girl already! How am I supposed to trust ya to think with your head,” Jimmy jammed a finger into his temple, “And not with Little Clyde.” Jimmy didn’t have to point down south. The implication was clear.

“You’re a real Grade-A dick James Logan!” Clyde shouted as he took a step back from his red-faced brother.

The two men stood silently for a moment, arms folded and grumbling. Steam might as well have been pourin’ from their ears.

Clyde knew he had to find a way to convince Jimmy that Rey was no threat, and fast. Even in his anger, Clyde could admit that Jimmy had a fair point. How was his brother supposed to trust his life to a woman he’d never even met?

An idea popped into Clyde’s head. It certainly wasn’t ideal, but he knew it was the only way he could get Jimmy off his back.

“Would ya like to meet her?” Clyde asked, so softly he was worried Jimmy may not hear him.

“Meet the British chick?”

Yeah. Definitely not ideal. The last thing Clyde wanted to do was introduce Rey to his brother; Jimmy had a history of stealing Clyde’s women. ( _ She’s not your woman,  _ Clyde reminded himself.) Nonetheless, Clyde knew Jimmy would never approve unless he sussed Rey out on his own.

“Mhm,” Clyde mumbled in resignation.

Jimmy narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but Clyde could see that he was considering it. Clyde held his breath, awaiting his brother’s answer.

“Fine.”

—

Rey’s entire day felt off after her nightmare. She transcribed her interviews slowly, in a haze as she sipped her lukewarm coffee. Rey knew she wasn’t being all that productive, but she didn’t break from her task. Staying busy was what kept her sane after Iraq, and today was no different.

At around noon, Rey was fixing herself a nutritious lunch of Ritz, Cheez-Whiz, and coffee when her phone pinged with a text message. Rey sprayed some of the orange “cheese” directly into her mouth as she unlocked her phone.

**From: Clyde**

**My brother Jimmy is in town. He would like to meet you. Could you meet us at Duck Tape at 5?**

Rey’s eyes widened and she reread the message. Jimmy, his football star older brother, was in town? Clyde hadn’t mentioned the visit when they were out he day before.

Quickly, Rey typed out her reply, an eager,  _ Yes! See you then! _

Clyde wanted to introduce her to the other rest of his family. The thought thrilled Rey, both as an anthropologist and personally. Jimmy could provide a great contrast to Clyde’s perspective on the town: he was a man about the same age, but from what she’s gathered, he ran in very different social circles. It would be fascinating to see their different takes on the world.

Pathetically, Rey was excited that Clyde wanted her to meet his family. If they were a couple, this would be a major step in their relationship. He deemed her worthy of being a part of his family.

Rey blushed and shook her head.  _ Down girl,  _ she thought.

Rey went back to transcription with renewed vigor. The prospect of seeing Clyde again that evening lifted her spirits tremendously after the dreary morning she had. Plus, she couldn’t wait to meet Jimmy!

—

As soon as she saw Jimmy, Rey knew all the reports she had on him were correct. He was leaning back in a booth, arms slung behind his head, boots resting on the bench across from him. The man oozed masculinity and confidence. He was conventionally attractive, all corded muscle and square-jawed, but he wasn’t exactly her type. Her type was more, well… Clyde.

“Rey,” Clyde called softly from behind the bar. He set the glass he was cleaning aside and walked around to greet her.

“Hi Clyde!” Rey squeaked, perhaps too eagerly. Clyde didn’t seem to mind though- he positively beamed at her.

“It’s good to see you,” he replied softly. The fact that they’d seen each other only the day before just made the comment even sweeter.

“Clyde stop making goo-goo eyes and introduce me!”

Rey was so wrapped up in their private greeting that she nearly forgot the reason for her visit: Jimmy. The man wrapped a thick arm around Clyde’s shoulders and thumped him on the chest a couple times in a bro-y, encouraging manner. Though Jimmy was nearly a head shorter than his brother, Clyde looked almost  _ small  _ after the interruption; all the joy that was on his face instantly fell away.

Clyde worked his jaw a straightened up before he spoke. “Jimmy, this is Rey Johnson. Rey, this is my brother Jimmy.”

“It’s good to finally meet you, Jimmy.” Rey greeted cheerily as she stuck her hand out for him to shake. Jimmy shook her hand firmly before bringing it up to brush his lips.

“What’s an angel such as ya’self doin’ in podunk Boone County?” Jimmy asked with an overly sweet southern drawl.

Rey couldn’t help but blush. Clyde was staring daggers into his brother’s back. The look was so menacing and so out of place on the reserved man that Rey had to suppress a giggle. She swiftly took her hand out of Jimmy’s grip before replying, “I’m sure Clyde has told you, but I’m doing research for my thesis.”

“Oh yeah, my lil’ brother’s told me  _ all _ about ya,” Jimmy snickered. Then it was Clyde’s turn to blush. “Say, how ‘bout I buy ya a drink ‘n we can get to know each other a lil’ bit.”

A drink was exactly what Rey needed to get through a conversation with the incorrigible flirt, so she nodded in Clyde's direction. “I’ll have a whiskey on the rocks please.”

“Ah, good choice darlin,” Jimmy complimented in that sickly sweet voice again. “I’ll have the same,” he bid Clyde as he led Rey to a booth in the back.

“So tell me more about this ‘work’ o’ yours,” Jimmy asked Rey once they sat down.

Rey launched into her explanation about her ethnography yet again. She had recounted it so many times, she practically had her speech memorized at that point. The whole time, Jimmy was eyeing her with a strange mix of intrigue and mistrust. About halfway through, Clyde came by with their drinks. His expression was positively murderous.

Once Rey was done talking, Jimmy still appeared weary of her. “So you is tryin’ to get to know everythang about everyone, how am I supposed to know you can be trusted?” He queried.

“Well,” Rey had to think for a moment before continuing, “I’m not sharing your name in the study and you don’t have to answer any questions that make you uncomfortable. I just want to get to know you and your experiences better.”

“Hmm,” Jimmy hummed. “What if I wanna get to know  _ you _ better?”

_ Oh gosh _ . “I’m going to be here for a year, so I think you’ll get to know me plenty,” Rey replied dryly then she took a large swig of her whiskey.

“What if a year ain’t enough darlin’? Maybe I’m lookin’ for somethin’ that lasts?”

Rey literally choked on her drink. “Then maybe you should look somewhere else,” she said in the coldest tone she could muster.

Somehow, Jimmy was still undeterred. To Rey’s surprise, he threw his head back in booming laughter. “You is a funny girl, Rey,” he crooned as he reached across the table to rest his hand over Rey’s. To top it off, Jimmy bit his lip and looked up at her through hooded eyes. No doubt he was going for seductive, but he appeared more constipated than anything.

Rey couldn’t help but glance over at the bar, hoping maybe Clyde would save her. She was expecting him to be absorbed in his work, but Clyde was already staring at them, specifically at where their hands were clasped. His face was as red as a tomato and his eyes were completely black with fury. Was he… jealous?

Rey quickly tore her hand away from Jimmy’s. When she did, Clyde’s shoulders immediately loosened.  _ He’s totally jealous! _ Rey screamed internally.

Mercifully, Mellie burst through the door at that exact moment. Rey wanted to get on her knees and thank the woman for saving her from her eldest brother’s awkward advances.

“If it ain’t my favorite lil’ Brit!” Mellie squealed as she rushed through the bar in her stilettos to envelope Rey in a hug. “I see you met Jimmy,” she commented when she spotted her brother across the booth.

“Mhm,” was all Rey could manage. She couldn’t even look at Jimmy. Why did she have to be so damn awkward?

“Have ya ever played pool, Rey?” Mellie asked. Rey shook her head. 

“Never?! Well it seems ya need a teacher!” Before Rey could reply, Mellie whisked her off and away towards the pool table.

—

As it turns out, Rey was somewhat of a pool table prodigy. Mellie was flabbergasted at how quickly the lil’ city girl learned. She was as sharp as a knife, that one.

After their first game, Mellie ordered them both another round of drinks. Rey was about to order another boring whiskey, but Mellie wouldn’t stand for it.

“My brother is the best damn bartender in the state! He can make just ‘bout anythin’. Order something fun.”

With a sigh, Rey relented and ordered a fruity cocktail. When Clyde brought their drinks over and Rey went rummaging through her purse for cash, Clyde stilled her hand with a gentle touch.

“It’s on the house,” he insisted. Mellie didn’t miss the way Rey’s cheeks burned. As Clyde made his way back towards the bar, Mellie shot him a suggestive, mischievous look, making her brother’s cheeks burn to match his girl’s.

As drinks flowed and the games were played, Mellie continued to keep her eye out. Jimmy was still at the back of the bar sulking after his failed attempt at flirty. She was a bit tipsy, so Mellie could only giggle. It was Clyde’s turn to win over the ladies and give Jimmy a taste of his own medicine.

Though Rey was very concentrated whenever it was her turn to shoot, her focus was drawn elsewhere whenever it was Mellie’s turn. Subtly, Mellie followed her friend’s gaze and found it trained on the bartender. Mellie stole a glance at Rey. Her friend’s face was filled with pure longing.

_ Oh these idiots are pinin’ so hard, _ Mellie mused privately as she took her shot.  _ If they don’t break this tension soon, Imma have to break it for ‘em. _ Mellie hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She knew that eventually one would make a move, but knowing how shy both of them were, it was going to be a while.  _ Maybe I could just help ‘em along? _

Upon finishing their final game, the girls ordered one last round. They were already both past the point of tipsy, but neither of them were in the mood to care. They were both hard working women and they were ready to let their hair down after a long week.

They nursed their drinks and giggled over nothing until Clyde siddled over and interrupted. Rey’s whole demeanor changed instantly, her attention rapt at Clyde’s greeting. Mellie, for once, was all too happy  _ not _ being the center of attention.

“You’re quite the pool player, Rey,” Clyde complimented with a shy grin.

“Thank you,” Rey whispered. Her cheeks were pink, and not just from the alcohol. Mellie took that as her cue to leave. Inconspicuously, she slid off her barstool and stumbled over to the booth where Jimmy sat, still sulking.

“So, Rey and Clyde...” Mellie said as she slid onto the leather bench.

Jimmy’s pout deepened and his lower lip stuck out. He looked like a kid who just got his candy taken away. Mellie chuckled at her brother. He was a sore loser.

“Good for him, I guess.” Jimmy grumbled, taking another sip of his drink.

Though he was more than a bit put out at Rey’s rejection, Jimmy couldn’t help but be happy for his brother. Clyde had always been quiet and reserved, especially around women. Ever since he lost his arm, Clyde’s confidence had only decreased.

But as Jimmy watched Rey and Clyde interact, it was almost as if Clyde turned into a whole new person. He was smiling at her, speaking openly, and standing tall. Jimmy hadn’t seen his brother act like this around anyone outside the family in well… ever.

And Rey was no different. Where she had been cool and collected with Jimmy, she was bright and welcoming with Clyde. They really did seem to bring out the best in one another.

Eventually, Clyde leaned across the bar, inching closer to Rey. Jimmy strained his ears to hear his brother’s words over the music.

“I think it’s ‘bout time you get home ya lil’ lightweight,” Clyde teased with a smirk.

“You only think Imma lightweight because you’re some sorta giant, you tree-man,” Rey slurred as she reached towards her glass once more. Without looking away from her eyes, Clyde snatched the glass from Rey and put it behind the counter.

“I’m cuttin’ you off darlin’,” Clyde told her in a voice so sweet, it almost made Jimmy gag. “C’mon, I’ll drive ya home. Jimmy can watch the bar for a few minutes.”

Finally, Clyde tore his smoldering gaze away from Rey and looked to his brother. Before Clyde could say anything, Jimmy called, “Get the girl home. I got this.”

Clyde nodded his thanks and the brothers traded places behind the bar. As Jimmy was cleaning Rey’s discarded glass, Clyde helped her off the barstool. The girl was clearly drunk and she immediately started swaying where she stood.

“I gotcha,” Clyde reassured her softly. He wrapped his arm gently round her shoulders before slinging her purse over his other arm.

“Thanks, Clyde.” Rey mumbled as she shakily stood on her toes and planted a kiss on Clyde’s stubbly cheek. Rey giggled as Clyde blushed. They looked like a pair of virginal high schoolers and it was, admittedly, pretty darn cute.

_ A good match indeed, _ Jimmy mused as his brother and Rey made their way into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting interesting up in here! What do the dreams mean? When will Rey finally figure it out? Will Clyde fess up and tell her? When are they going to stop dancing around each other? Please leave all your predictions and general thoughts down in the comments section! Your comments are my lifeblood. The more comments and kudos and bookmarks, the faster the update ;)
> 
> Thank you to my wonderful beta, Jediknightley, for all her help on not only this chapter, but the entire story! I would be lost without you.
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr @benisolo and twitter @anniesscribbles. I love you all!!! xx


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